Making the decision to donate blood can do as much as save a life. There are many benefits of donating blood, it is recommended that you donate blood as often as possible. INOVA Fairfax Hospital teamed up with Falls Church High School, in order to successfully receive donations. Here at Falls Church, we give students the opportunity to donate blood during school hours. It’s an annual event that takes place at our school

The National Honors Society was in charge of getting both students and teachers to sign up for the blood drive. Members of the National Honors Society distributed consent forms during all lunches a long period of time prior to the day of the blood drive. They organized the blood drive and made sure that everything was in order. Although they encouraged all students to sign up, there were certain requirements people had to meet in order to be eligible. In order to donate blood, you have to be at least 16 years old and have a parent or guardian’s permission. Before the donation process, you will answer some questions about your health history and places you have traveled, which play a role in whether or not you may donate. The actual donation takes about 10 to 15 minutes, which is completely safe and almost pain free. It is recommended that you have something to eat or drink after donating to regain strength and avoid complications afterwards.

By the end of the donation process, you are not only given the satisfaction of helping multiple people but you are also given a shirt to take home afterwards. Donating blood is an experience in which we learn the importance of helping others and giving back to our community. Donating blood is a simple and quick process with many benefits. Finally, the annual blood drive was a success and will continue to be a success with the help of all those who donated and helped this event happen.