Mr. Anastasia’s advisory held the biannual Blood Drive for their Senior Service Project on Wednesday, December 13. This drive holds the Fossil Ridge High School  record for most donors, as 64 people donated, with many on a waiting list.

Capstone leaders Francesca Forero and Sarah Hertz organized this drive with the help of their advisory class and Bonfils Blood Center. The 64 donors, each donating 3 pints of blood, managed to donate enough blood to save 192 lives, although, with this drive, some of the blood has the potential to be used to study the effectiveness of a new Zika virus detection. The Zika virus is a virus that can causes paralytic nervous system damage or can cause the loss of a baby or serious birth defects in pregnant women. This donation could help prevent the spread of patient exposure to Zika as well as helping doctors research this virus.

 Ms. Fein allowed for the media center to be shut down for the entire day in order to hold the blood drive there. There were 6 donation chairs set up as well as a check in area and two closed off areas for the donation doctors to consult with the participants. There was also an area set up with cookies, drinks, goldfish, and trail mix so the donors could help rebuild their iron supply and wait for the 10-15 minutes after their donation.

 Adam Howard, a senior and one of the organizers of the event said, “working with the Bonfils Blood Center was a great experience. Representatives from the charity walked us through the entire process of setting up the drive so it went off without a hitch. We surpassed our goal which was incredibly fulfilling for everyone who worked to put it all together.”