Students willing to donate blood got their wish on Nov. 30, with the Clark Magnet Blood Drive opening up for donation. Forty-six students signed up to donate blood for a variety of reasons. “I donate blood because I want to help people who need it,” said senior Dro Yesserian. “It’s just the right thing to do.”

The blood drive has been going on for 15 years, which makes it a mainstay at Clark. This process has continued over the years under the direction of Fred Blattner, a math teacher and GMG advisor.“Doing the blood drive gives young people a chance to make a big impact in the world,” Blattner said. However, this year, Huntington Hospital replaced the American Red Cross as the facilitator of the blood drive. “It just made sense,” Blattner said. Huntington Hospital has an established trauma center with people who are professionals taking students’ blood, [while] the Red Cross in some cases did not.”

While 46 students signed up to donate, only 35 actually donated blood that will be collected by medical centers. Senior Manuel Sardaryan is one of those people who answered that call.“It’s a pleasure and an honor for me to donate blood to people who need it,” he said. “I personally think it is a win-win. I miss a bit of class and people who need blood get blood.”

Statistics from the American Red Cross show that every two seconds a person in the United States needs blood. “That statistic is what drives me the most to donate,” said senior Sebastian Velasquez. “Even though I despise needles, I know that someone, somewhere in the U.S. needs blood to survive, which makes me happy to donate and know that I’m making a difference.”