“It’s much bigger than just me. It’s the kids, it’s the effort Student Council puts on every year to make a difference. I want to be a part of it and contribute my small part but also support the kids that are also back their donating,” Assistant Principal Tim Jones said.

On Jan. 28, The Lafayette High School Student Council (STUCO) will be hosting its annual blood drive. Taking place in the back gym, the drive will begin at 8 a.m. and will end at 1 p.m. 

According to the American Red Cross Association, the community is currently experiencing its worst blood shortage in over a decade, and is in desperate need of blood as a result of the pandemic. There has been over a 62% drop in high school and college blood drives since March 2020. Before the pandemic, nearly 25% of blood donations were from students. But after the initial surge, only 10% of donors were students.

Despite this severe shortage, over 130 Lafayette students and staff members have signed up to donate. Currently, only one available time slot remains at 8:15 a.m. 

For the past 19 years, Jones has been donating his blood. After Jones’ dad passed away, he remembered being little and often seeing his dad wearing a blood donor sticker, which inspired him to start donating his own blood. 

“It’s a really simple way of giving back and it also shows students that it’s not harmful. It helps set a lifelong pattern of people helping one another,” Jones said.  

He first began donating after receiving a phone call from the Red Cross, asking for blood donations. Once Lafayette began hosting their own drives, he began to come and donate at their annual drives. He found it was a good way to be a role model to the students who were also donating. 

For senior Sophia Mimlitz, this year will be her first time donating blood. Mimlitz never thought much about donating her blood, until STUCO sponsor and Language Arts teacher David Choate encouraged her to sign up.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could actually be very helpful to people that need it. I am fortunate to have lived a very healthy life so far, but I know that some others who haven’t could need blood transfusions, and I want to help,” Mimlitz said.