At the start of the school year, science teacher Laura Housman and junior Elora Speltz visited the Blood Bank of Hawaii to attend a workshop. They gained an understanding of the science of blood and the process of donating blood.

During the blood drive workshop, they were able to visit different stations and learn about customer service skills useful to those helping at a blood drive. They also learned about the different parts of the blood, and how their blood can save three people’s lives due to it being separated by plasma, red blood cells and white blood cells. At one of the stations, they could find out what their blood type was. They also had a speaker who grew up in need of blood transfusions. She talked to the group about her experiences growing up in that atmosphere.

“If you are eligible to donate, just try it,” Housman said. “The collection specialists at the Blood Bank of Hawaii provide an exceptional service and their focus is making sure you are safe and comfortable during the entire donation process. If you are not eligible to donate, you can still help. Encourage your friends and family to donate or volunteer to help organize our next blood drive in March.”

Due to the typically low donor turnout at the Academy blood drives, the workshop served as a way for coordinators to learn more about overcoming this challenge. Housman’s role as coordinator of the school’s blood drive is to work with the Blood Bank of Hawaii, recruit students to promote the blood drive and encourages people to sign up and answer questions about eligibility and the donation process.

Housman was inspired to donate blood from her high school government class, in which the students volunteered to earn community service hours. One of the options to get the hours was to donate blood, which Housman decided to try; she now helps save lives by donating blood and planning the school’s blood drives.

Speltz thought the blood drive was a fun and educational experience. She has participated in multiple blood drives and has had a positive experience donating blood. She feels good knowing that she can help others’ lives when she donates blood.

“At first, I was afraid because I thought I would faint,” she said. “I was still nervous about fainting (at the drive), but all the workers were super kind and made me feel comfortable. Once I got onto the table, I started to feel excited about what I was going to do, and afterward, I felt even better, a little more ‘weak,’ but I felt good about what I had done.”