Stephanie Gross

Sports Writer

Blood. The very word makes many people think of different things.

For one, some people might get sick to their stomach just thinking about it, but for the students of Coppell High School, they think of saving lives.

On Friday, the Public Service Academy partnered with Carter Blood Care to host a campus blood drive. The event is part of the academy’s Flexible Friday event.

“The reason that we use Carter’s is because their blood stays within our community instead of being shipped all over the world,” PSA lead Debra Johnson said.

The goal is to collect 80 units of blood from the students of CHS, but the drive received 50 units within the first hour.

“Each donation of blood from a student saves three lives,” Johnson said. “Carter supplies our hospitals so it is amazing to know that this blood will stay within our community.”

There are certain requirements that the students must meet to give blood. These include a certain weight requirement, 110 pounds for girls and 120 pounds for boys.  Each student must be at least 16 years of age and have a photo ID before donating.

Next year, PSA is planning to host four separate blood drives for students. This is a special opportunity for seniors especially, due to the fact that if they donate two times within a year, they receive a red chord to wear at graduation, as well as a certificate from Carter Blood Care.

“I have never donated before but it seemed like a really good thing to do,” senior Joshua Chung said.  “Getting drawn took about 10 minutes but the over all process wasn’t as bad as a thought it would have been.”

Many students were lined up to donate their blood, with the dominant thought of saving people’s lives.

“I have always wanted to save someone’s life in some way and donating blood was an awesome opportunity for me to do so,” sophomore Peter Leach said.