St. Peter to hold local blood drive

Science Teacher Tracy Crumbaugh and her fourth-grade science class are excited about the upcoming blood drive they organized and will be helping out during the event Monday, May 5. [Click to enlarge]

St. Peter Catholic School will be hosting a blood drive Monday, May 5, from 2 to 6 p.m. in the gymnasium.

Tracy Crumbaugh, science teacher, and Sarah Bowers, physical education and nutrition teacher, decided the fourth through eighth graders could gain a lot from organizing a blood drive.

"We are always looking for something that is new and different to keep them involved in science," Crumbaugh said. "Students don't realize how much science plays a part in our daily lives."

In their science classes, students have been studying cells and body systems to go along with the blood drive. In nutrition, students have studied the breakdown of blood and other aspects that accompany the unit.

Crumbaugh said science is "not just reading in a book or a scientist on TV, it is much more exciting. It's all around us." She said science is a part of many jobs, such as a doctor, nurse, conservationist, water plant worker, lab technician, botanist and computer technologist.

There are 48 students participating in organizing the blood drive at their school.

A representative of the Community Blood Center came to the school to speak to an assembly of fourth through eighth grade students. Students were shown a video that explained the importance of donations and the number of lives that are saved by blood each year.

"The students are really enthusiastic and they really made a connection," Crumbaugh said. "They got the idea of why it's important (when they watched the video)."

Community Blood Center has set the goal for this particular blood drive at 25 units because it is the first one put on by the school.

"The students seem to think we can do much better," Crumbaugh said. The students have set a goal of five people per student, which would equal over 200 units of blood collected.

Crumbaugh said there is a saying the school goes by, "We may be little, but we're the school that could." She continued that this school is like the little engine that could.

Crumbaugh said there are many positives to having the blood drive and involving the students.

"We are coming to the end of the school year and this is a great project," she said. "Also, it's not only a correlation of their academic studies, but a correlation of giving and helping the community."

The best part is the blood stays local, she said. The amount of blood available for use locally is "really, really low," Crumbaugh said.

Donors can give blood every 56 days.

"Anyone who gives blood at our blood drive will be able to donate at the large blood drive held at the YMCA," she said.

Crumbaugh said she would like to make the drive an annual event.

"We are always looking for community projects."

The students will be in charge of welcoming and guiding blood donors to where they need to be and making sure the refreshment table is well stocked for those who have decided to donate.

Anyone interested in donating blood can visit the Web at www.stpeterchurch-marshallmo.org/school and then click on the announcements tab on the left side of the screen.

Donors will get a minimum physical test, a cholesterol check, refreshments and a T-shirt.

Crumbaugh said they would also have the ALYX machine available.

The ALYX Component Collection System allows the blood center to collect only red blood cells while returning the other blood components -- platelets and plasma -- back to the donor. This process allows two transfusable doses of red blood cells to be donated in one donation visit. After this type of donation, donors may not donate any blood products for 16 weeks.

ALYX uses a needle that is slightly smaller than the one used for whole blood collection, so donors may find it more comfortable.

During the donation, donors will receive fluids to keep hydrated and plasma and platelets will be returned to them. Many donors feel better after donating on ALYX than after donating a conventional whole blood unit.

ALYX donations take about 15 minutes more than a traditional donation, but you donate twice as many red cells.

Crumbaugh said the blood center can only take four "double red" cell donations a day. "We have parking available for donors on our playground parking lot," she said.

Donors should bring photo identification, such as a driver's license with them, and eat well and drink plenty of fluids prior to donation.

For any questions, contact Crumbaugh at 660-886-6390.

Contact Rachel Harper at marshallcity@socket.net