On Thursday, November 17, Student Council hosted the first blood drive of the year. The semi-annual event is sponsored by Lifesource as a fundraiser.

“I help put volunteers together to run the blood drive,” Student Council President Matt Rodriguez said. “We work with Lifesource to put it together and donate blood.”

Community service and donating is a major factor in Student Council, so they felt that hosting the blood drive is a great way to serve people in need.

“The blood drive is a charity fundraiser that we do,” Rodriguez said. “Giving and donating is really important to the council.”

The blood drive allows students the opportunity to earn a red cord, which will be granted to the student at graduation for donating multiple times 

“To earn the red cord, you need to donate at least four times through Lifesource,” Student Council sponsor Karen Miller said. “It can be done here at our blood drive, or at the Crystal Lake center. Lifesource will let us know the fall of your senior year, and then during senior awards night, you will receive your red cord.”

The blood drive is one of the biggest Student Council sponsored events, which attracts many students aged 16 or older, in the course of one day.

“The purpose is to get kids to donate blood,” Rodriguez said. “Teenagers are really healthy, and have healthy blood, so they can easily recover from it.”

At the end of the year senior awards night, Student Council awards scholarships for the executive board and general members of the council.

“As a fundraiser, we receive money from Lifesource,” Miller said. “We use that money to give out scholarships for Student Council.”

For every student who signs up, they are given a Lifesource t-shirt and all students who donate are given a coupon for a free pint of Culver’s custard.