On October 1, The Central JROTC program hosted the fall blood drive with Blood Assurance. A lot of planning went into hosting the blood drive by ROTC Cadets. 

The main cadet in charge of planning the blood drive was Airicka Richardson. Richardson explained that the stress and time that went into planning the blood drive was worth it since 79 people donated at the school on Friday. 

“There were actually a lot of football players on the list to donate, but they ended up having to take their names off because they had a game that day. Many members of the JROTC raiders team were on the list to donate, but also had to remove their names due to the upcoming competition that Saturday,” Richardson explained. 

Students of at least 16 years of age first had to get a parent consent form allowing them to donate. On the day of donation, students had to meet a list of requirements, including weight, iron levels, heart rate, and temperature. Students that met these requirements were encouraged to donate.

“Donating is important for anyone who is able to. 1 pint donated is 3 potential lives saved,” Richardson stated. 

On the day of the blood drive, JROTC cadets were assigned different jobs including escorting people to the armory, helping people on and off the buses, and assisting people in the recovery room. 

“I was really nervous about whether the needle would hurt, which it did, but at the end of the day, donating blood helped save three lives. I’m really glad I was able to be a part of the blood drive,” stated Cadet Blake Chambers, who helped run the blood drive and donated blood.