By Christy Ford ’15 | Staff Writer

Did you know that one pint of blood could save up to three lives? The National Honor Society (NHS) Annual Blood Drive will take place Friday, Nov. 8 during the school day.

Students can sign up online by going to the Red Cross website and typing in the in sponsor code “gpsouth,” NHS President Catherine Vorhees said. From there, those eligible can make an account, fill out the information, and pick a time frame. Every aspect of the donation process will be done electronically this year.

Students that want to donate must meet specific requirements, first year NHS adviser Christine Harris said.

According to the Red Cross website, all donors must be healthy, 17 years of age (or 16 with a parent/guardian consent form downloadable on the website), and have a weight of at least 110.

The deadline to sign up is next Wednesday, Nov. 6, and reminders will be sent out on Thursday to those students that signed up, Harris said.

“Our goal this year is 61 pints of blood, and we still have a lot of spots open to donate, so we need more participants right now,” Vorhees said.

It is encouraged that students sign up for their time to give blood during tutorial times so that they are not missing a class, said Harris.

“I don’t think there’s ever been an issue in collecting the blood or having kids excited about donating,” Harris said. “There’s a lot of benefits. It’s a great feeling to donate, and you get to find out your blood type.”

Many students such as Ryan Powell ‘ 14  plan on doing their part to help those in need.

“I may (participate) because I feel people who need my blood will benefit more from it than if I don’t give,” said Powell. “So I’m just gonna try to help out.”

Others are held back from participating because of certain health requirements, weight or height restrictions. Omani Golston and Morgan Murphy both ‘14, are two that fall under this category. Murphy said she turns 17 shortly after the date of the blood drive, prohibiting her from participating.

“I’m not giving blood because I can’t,” Golston said. “I have heart issues, but if I didn’t, I would.”
[info] To sign up to donate blood on Nov. 8, visit here. [/info]