Hoover High School hosted its annual “Hoover Blood Drive” on Tuesday and Wednesday. PSA teacher April Schwartz organized the event.

“Students from the Red Cross Club told me that they had done this in previous years and that they wanted to do something good for the community,” Schwartz said.

Seeing students care about their community and take action made a meaningful impact on campus.

Schwartz estimated that around 22 people would donate blood on the first day alone.

“That’s around maybe 22 liters of blood today and 44–50 liters by tomorrow,” she said.

All donated blood was sent directly to Huntington Hospital. Unlike some blood drives where donated blood may be processed and sold, this drive ensured the blood went straight to patients in need at no cost.

There were constant emergencies and scheduled surgeries that required blood, making donations especially important.

“Think about how many surgeries are scheduled for today, and that’s not counting all the accidents that happen and people who need blood at the moment,” Schwartz said. “Anytime there is an injury, often there will be a need for blood, and depending on the injury, it’s always good to have it in demand.”

Student-athlete Diego Abadia was one of the volunteers who chose to donate.

“I wanted to donate blood [because] oftentimes there are people who are in need of blood, and I figured why not donate to a good cause and help as much as I can,” Abadia said.

As the two-day event came to a close, Hoover High once again showed how caring its community could be.