Wildcats donated 80 units of blood to the Red Cross on April 3 during the second blood drive of the school year. Participating students were excused from class to volunteer in the life-saving activity.

The Red Cross introduced a new procedure that allowed sixteen-year-old students to donate blood by giving a permission packet to every underage donor. The only requirement was to have parental permission to participate in the donation process.

“Every little bit helps when it comes to saving lives and helping the future of children who now have the opportunity to grow and experience all the things we take for granted,” said senior Rachael Mueller, who organized the event.

In addition to the traditional donation method, the Red Cross used the new Alyx Machine. The machine extracts two pints of blood instead of the usual one, but compensates by returning all the removed white cells back into the blood system. This is not a fool-proof way to donate, however.

“I was very disappointed because I was not fortunate enough to donate since I have low iron in my blood,” said senior Brenda Salgado.

The last blood drive of the year was a huge success, and the Red Cross was very impressed with the donated units of blood.

Students who missed the blood drive may still contact the Red Cross to learn where future donations may be made.