Infusions of Hope

Posted: June 1, 2023 at 3:35 pm

National Honor Society organizes community blood drive

Donors from left include students Treg Whitaker and Barbara Briggs; Mindee Miller, a community member and substitute for seminary; and Caitlin Tracy, an Almo resident. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE RAFT RIVER HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Donors from left include students Treg Whitaker and Barbara Briggs; Mindee Miller, a community member and substitute for seminary; and Caitlin Tracy, an Almo resident. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE RAFT RIVER HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

Story by Dianna Troyer

While donating blood at Raft River High School, Treg Whitaker and Caitlin Tracy think of their family members who relied on transfusions.

Treg’s late grandmother needed multiple transfusions while being treated for multiple myeloma, a rare leukemia.

“It was sometimes hard to find her blood type when she needed transfusions,” says Treg, a Raft River senior. “It’s important to me to donate blood to help people in those situations.”

Treg serves as president of the National Honor Society, the organization that plans the annual community blood drive at the high school.

Caitlin, an Almo resident, says she makes annual blood donations because they have been lifesaving for her family.

When her son, Oliver, was born in 2014, she had an emergency cesarean section.

Her father also had a medical emergency.

“He had a bad horse accident and needed blood,” she says. “When you’re the recipient of a transfusion or a family member is in need, it makes you want to donate.

Treg, NHS president, and Barbara, senior student body vice president, help sign in blood donors at the community blood drive.
Treg, NHS president, and Barbara, senior student body vice president, help sign in blood donors at the community blood drive.

“For me, giving blood is an opportunity to do some good for someone else.”

Another donor, Barbara Briggs, a senior and student body vice president, says she donates blood because she wants “to help those who need it more than I do and to know that my donation may help save someone’s life.”

They were among 36 blood donors in April at Malta’s community blood drive, an annual NHS service project. Seven participants were first-time donors. Their generosity has the potential to save 99 lives, according to the American Red Cross of Twin Falls.

 

The donations are priceless lifesavers for patients undergoing scheduled surgery or facing life-threatening trauma in an emergency room. Donating blood takes only a few minutes yet can add years to many people’s lives.

“The Red Cross employees who came out were pleased we had so many donors,” says Jennifer Whitaker, NHS advisor since 2022 and administrative assistant at Raft River High School. “Their goal was 40.”

NHS members volunteer to check in donors and to help Red Cross staff.

“Our honor society does all kinds of service projects,” Jennifer says of the 65 NHS members.

In addition to the blood drive, members become a “lunch buddy” every week and eat with elementary school students and spend time with younger students at recess.

During their daily advisory time from 9:20 a.m. to 9:50 a.m., NHS members plan service projects such as the blood drive, do homework, catch up on scholarship applications and plan other events.

“We always have great community support for our blood drive,” says Sheryl Cottle, a paraeducator and the NHS advisor from 2013 to 2021. “It’s a really important service project and community tradition.”