NHS Holds 20th Annual Blood Drive

On Tuesday, April 5th, NHS and the Key Club came together to organize this year's blood drive. Key Club advisors Ms. Mazza and Ms. Durso came together with the help of the members to set up this act of service. This was just one of the many fundraisers Nutley High School has done for the good of the community. Not only did it bring awareness to health and charity, but as well as teaching students lessons in life and putting themselves in somebody else's shoes. 

The blood drive was held in one of the gyms located in the Nutley High School. In this gym, there were areas to prepare and answer a few questions before getting tested to see if one could actually donate their blood. In which then someone would wait until it was their turn to consult with the doctor and see if they were eligible for donating. If one passed their test with the doctor, they moved on to the actual procedure of getting their blood taken. After the process was done, they would have some refreshments and sit down for at least 15 minutes before doing anything else. As stated by Ms. Mazza, “ We start by making sketches of the HS auxiliary gym for the drivers from the blood center to set up their equipment. We run a Blood Drive Assembly the week before the drive with a representative from the blood center explaining to the students the requirements for donation, the procedure, what to expect and answering any questions they may have.” 

Although it took the Key Club staff and members to join together and build this fundraiser, it was also the students at NHS who donated their blood who tied up this event all together. This year's blood drive also marked partnering up with New Jersey Blood Services for the 20th time. There was even a cake presented for this event. In an interview with Allison Scorsone, a student at NHS who is also a part of the Key Club, she states, “The goal of the event was to collect as many units of blood as possible! We were successful and ended up collecting a total of 145 units, which is now the new record.” 

As much as it was a hustle getting all of this to come together, the reason why everyone was there was to give back. Many people all over the world go through struggles a lot of others have no idea being in. Donating these pints of blood could really benefit the people in this world who truly need it. Another student at NHS, Suzy Ulloa, who had also donated, felt that this was a win-win for herself and people in need. According to Suzy, “I felt proud of myself and accomplished that I was able to make a difference in 3 people's lives. It was an eye opening experience and I’m glad I could give back to people who are in need.”

Overall, the Blood Drive was very successful and will surely leave a mark on everyone that attended. Fundraisers are for the greater good and benefit those who genuinely require it in order to live. Life is something precious that each individual experiences. Giving back to help others be able to enjoy their life again is something that makes society and our own environments grow as one. If it wasn’t for Ms. Mazza, Ms. Durso, other staff and students in Key Club, and everyone who donated blood, we wouldn’t have had such a touching and eye opening movement. Just like Ms. Mazza said, “This is what Key Club stands for. Our motto is ‘caring is our way of life’.”