WEST ORANGE, Nj — West Orange High School held its first ever Blood Drive on Wednesday, April 19th. The event was held in the school auditorium where juniors and seniors donated the blood. The initiative to have this event was started by Phys. Ed and CPR instructor Ozzie Diaz.

“We used to have the blood drive years ago but it stopped,” said Mr. Diaz. “But I felt that it was a very valuable source, especially in medical emergencies.” Community Blood Services collected the blood donated at the event. From there, the blood donated is sent to their labs where it’s processed and then sent out to local hospitals.

The event started at the beginning of the school day and ended at 3:30pm. Diaz commented on the event’s success by saying, “It was very successful, because we got a lot of people that showed up today. We’ve had 47 people come to donate, due to many reasons. And we had a high amount of double red blood, it’s when they separate the blood cells and the plasma, which are both very helpful.” When asked why it is important for students to engage in blood drives Mr Diaz stated, “I just feel it’s always important to give back to your community in general. If I ever need help, I hope that I receive the blood that I need.”

Two teachers that took part in the blood drive and donated were Dr. Brandt and Mr. Wenson. When asked how it felt to donate blood, Dr. Brandt stated, “It’s wonderful, I’ve been donating blood since I started working back in the 70’s and in one company, I started it. It’s worth it and healthy too because if you donate blood, it creates a better body response to a traumatic loss of blood.”

“It feels good. I would certainly encourage others to do it. It’s part of your civil duty, plus you also get oatmeal raisin cookies,” commented Mr. Wenson. The WOHS students and staff hope to continue the blood drive tradition.