Tuesday, February 24 students gathered into the gymnasium and lined up to donate blood with the American Red Cross. Students looked on as they watched their peers being stuck with needles and donating blood.

“I’m scared,” Cameron Bibaud (’16) said. “I don’t like needles. I was going to sign up, but I thought all the spots were filled. They weren’t. [Donating blood] is a good deed and saves lives.”

“Honestly, I wanted to know what my blood type was,” Matt Kingeter (’15) said.

Student council runs and organizes the blood drive at Hereford every year. With every bag of blood donated it could save up to three lives. “The people you save could include burn victims, cancer patients and more,” Mia Navaro (’16) said.

“The worst part was thinking about the needle,” Tori Evans (’15) said. “My friends made me [donate]. It’s the peer pressure, probably. I did it for the food, too. They have some nice bagels.”

Leslie Perry, the school nurse, worked with students to ensure they met the Red Cross’ standards and remained healthy throughout the process. “It’s giving back something to the Hereford community,” she said.

“It’s safety karma,” Brooke Smith (’15) said.

“I’m nervous, I’ve never done it before,” Jules Laue (’16) said. “I’ve always wanted to; my parents have and I thought it was a great idea.”

“I thought [after I donated] I would be really lightheaded,” Matt said “but I wasn’t. It was a fast and easy process.”

Perry quoted John Bunyan, a famous English writer, as saying “You’ve not lived until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”

Visit the Red Cross website for more information: www.redcross.org.