By Staff Writer Mark Andrysiak

Cancer patients, transplant patients, people with blood disorders, or people that need a blood transfusion, these are all reasons why men and women donate their blood each year.

Every year at Plainwell High School, the Red Cross Club along with the students and staff, team up to donate their blood.

The Red Cross Club at PHS gives students the opportunity to donate three times a year, once each trimester.

Plainwell High School has been donating blood since 2011 through the American Red Cross Club and has been getting more popular year after year.

“ My goal is to hopefully influence others to want to give blood and support the cause,” said Plainwell High School Teacher and Red Cross Club adviser Andrew Hansen.

Donating your blood doesn’t only benefit you but has a bigger impact on others. By donating blood you can save many of other people’s lives in need.

“The blood drive is good for kids to see what giving blood is all about,”said Hansen.

Approximately every two seconds somebody in the United States needs blood. The average blood transfusion requires at least 3 pints of blood.

With that being said, this requires healthy living people to kindly donate their blood so that those in need can live a healthy lifestyle as well.

“I think it’s important to give blood because it raises awareness for the cause,” said two time blood donor Aaron Crawford ‘17.

After donation, your blood is processed, tested, then put in storage. Red Cells are used for red cell transfusions. Platelets are used for cancer patients. And Plasma is used for blood clotting.

People don’t like donating blood for many reasons. That doesn’t mean you can’t give back. You can sign up to help out at blood drives, make people aware of the cause, or sign up for things like the Red Cross Club at Plainwell High School.

“I give blood because i like the feeling of being able to know I helped someone else out. I enjoy donating whenever I can,” said Crawford.

Recently Plainwell High School held their first blood drive of the year on November 3rd. There were 85 presenting donors. 55 total units of blood were donated all together. 22 people were deferred based on health reasons and 8 people deferred based on parental consent. Plainwell will hold more blood drives throughout the rest of the school year.