They're Not Old Enough to Donate, But Meads Mill Students Organize Blood Drive

On the surface, the blood drive at may seem like any other.

There will be greeters at the registration table, people to hand out goodies after donors give blood and even people to watch donors’ children during the process. But what will set this blood drive apart are the more than 34 seventh and eighth graders in a Meads Mill leadership class who are running it.

“We recruited people for the blood drive,” said student Harnoor Singh.

The class brainstormed ways to get the rest of the school to find donors for the American Red Cross blood drive. They decided to raffle off candy for students who got donors to sign up. The students in Tonya Nugent’s leadership class broke up into committees to oversee all aspects of the process, including baking goods for donors and marketing the event.

To help the students feel more vested in the project, they watched a video about blood donations. They also heard from school board member Anita Bartschat about .

She showed the class a long string of beads, each denoting a procedure and blood transfusion that her son needed.

“There were at least 10 red ones,” Harnoor explained, noting that red ones signified blood transfusions. “And that’s just for one person.”

The thought that other children might need blood didn’t occur to student Michael Townsend until he heard Christoph’s story, he said. That’s why he is glad to be part of organizing the blood drive at his school.

“Since we can’t donate blood, this is the next best thing,” Michael said. He also said that when he’s old enough, he’d like to donate and he hopes his class’s involvement sends a message to adults.

“I hope that says to them, ‘if you have time to give you should,’” he said.

That sentiment pleases his teacher.

“You want kids to volunteer because they have that innate ‘I want to help,’” Nugent said. “It’s one small way they can help and make a difference … They’re really excited about helping.”

She added that she hopes her students “learn to do good for others just because they want to. Not because it’s expected.”

Bartschat first approached the school’s principal Sue Meyer with the idea of involving students. The class began working on the project in early December.

“I think it’s fun for the kids to have a part in it,” she said. “They can’t give blood but they can recruit donors.”

To sign up to donate at the blood drive on Jan. 11, visit redcrossblood.org.