In the wake of the recent wildfires that devastated Southern California in January, hospitals faced a critical shortage of blood, plasma, and platelet supplies. Amidst the mass evacuations of L.A. residents, nonprofit humanitarian organizations like the American Red Cross were forced to cancel over 12,000 life-saving donations. 

Hoping to alleviate this shortage, the Sage Hill Red Cross Club hosted a blood drive in the Lipman Family Lobby on Feb. 11. Club members blew past their goal for the community to donate 23 units of blood, with one unit (400 mL) from each donor, drawing 35 units of blood over the day.

“Our team put in a lot of effort in preparation for the blood drive like promoting the event online and in-person, managing funds, crafting donor bags, and more. I took on the lead of crafting the donor bags which included a handwritten note, pen, gift card, and Hershey’s Kisses in the spirit of Valentine’s Day,” said Margie Gao, outreach manager for the Red Cross Club. 

On the day of the event, student volunteers registered and supported donors attended by American Red Cross staffers. This event was also successful in drawing in 11 first-time donors, a reflection of the club’s dedication and hard work in promoting the event. 

“Many teachers I had worked with in my old school in Pasadena evacuated and their houses burned down, so I just wanted to help them and their communities,” Math teacher Dinh Nguyen said. 

Beyond blood drives, the club supports other fundraisers throughout the year like the Inaugural Head for the Cure 5K for brain tumor research and pin sales for measles and rubella research.

These efforts were recognized by the Orange County Red Cross Chapter on March 15, where the Sage Hill Red Cross Club was awarded Club of the Month in recognition of its blood drive and involvement in prior fundraisers. Margie also won Member of the Month for her leadership on the blood drive. 

“It’s great to know that my positive contributions are making a difference to not only the Red Cross Club at Sage but also OC. Many members from other schools attended the event, and hopefully our actions inspire other clubs to organize blood drives too,” Margie said.