How many of us think the following: “I like to think that I’m not scared of much; but I have to admit there’s one thing I just can’t stand. Upon the sight of blood, I find myself wanting to quickly turn away or to shut my eyes tight and think happy thoughts. So last year, when I was asked to participate in one of the blood drives that Trinity High School hosts every year, I politely declined.”

Many of us may not know how much donating blood can help. According to the American Red Cross website, someone is in need of blood every two seconds. To fill this need, the Red Cross hosts blood drives across the nation, two or more of which take place at Trinity every year. The organization relies entirely on volunteers.

Trinity teacher Dr. Tom Zehnder is a regular at Trinity’s blood drives.

“I’m not sure how many times I’ve donated,” Zehnder said. “But it’s probably more than 50.”

To prove it, he stuck out an arm, which had several tiny scars from the number of times it’s been pricked. Nearly half of all donations to the Red Cross come from a minority of dedicated frequent donors.

Scheduled blood drives like the ones held at Trinity not only need volunteers to donate blood, but the Red Cross also needs volunteers to help in organizing, advertising, and working at drives. Mrs. Mary Mason is in charge of running Trinity’s annual blood drives.

“I’ve been helping to organize the blood drives for about 15 years,” Mason said. “I just try to be a helpful person, and this is my way of helping out.”

When Trinity’s House system began, the blood drives became Dante House’s annual service project. Members of Dante House can volunteer to work the drives. Trinity’s drives regularly bring in more than 100 usable pints.

Mason and Dante House will organize a fall blood drive at Trinity on Nov. 21, and another in the spring.

The most recent blood drive hosted by Trinity wasn’t organized by Mason, however. Near the end of last school year, Trinity and the Red Cross held an essay contest, the winner of which would host their own blood drive — and receive a $500 scholarship. The winner of the essay contest was Senior Trey Moster.

“The essay asked why I wanted to help with the blood drives. I just said that I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference,” Moster said.

The drive organized by Moster took place in late July.

“They parked their ‘Bloodmobile’ between the auditorium and the convocation hall,” said Moster, who communicated with American Red Cross donor representative Bill Bliven to set up the drive.

Bliven sent Moster a long list of Trinity students and staff who have donated in the past.

“I called everyone on the list, and told my friends about it, but a lot of people were on vacation, or would be busy while the drive was going on,” Moster said. “The drive ended up having a pretty low turnout.”

“It’s always hard to do a drive over the summer, because you can’t let as many people know that it’s going on,” Mason said. “But at least Trey gave the effort.”

“It was a great experience, and even though not many people turned up, it really felt like I was making a difference,” Moster said. “I would have wanted to do it even if there hadn’t been a reward. I’d do it again if I could.”

While the Red Cross relies heavily on people who have donated in the past, it still needs people who have never donated before to help out, too. The minimum age requirement to donate blood was dropped from 17 to 18, just to increase the number of people who might be able to help.

Donors with O-negative blood are especially needed, as that blood type can be accepted by anyone. If a student is unsure what their blood type is, it’s fairly easy to find out. Trinity freshmen taking advanced biology with Mr. Michael Budniak will learn their blood types before the end of the year.

One donation can save up to three lives, according to the Red Cross.

“It’s the gift of life. Blood is the one thing we can’t make artificially, and if nobody donates, then the people who need it will be in big trouble,” Zehnder said. “It’s one Christian thing you can do for your fellow man.”

For further information about the American Red Cross, its blood drives, and the different blood types, please visit this website: http://www.redcrossblood.org