By Sophia Doan
Every year, Westmont hosts a blood drive to help impact a community in need. Taking student volunteers, this year’s blood drive collected over 94 units of blood. With 71 first time donors, the blood drive keeps expanding year after year.
Below, I interviewed Chris Haskett, the teacher advisor of the blood drive, Averi Halbert, a student volunteer, and Mason Vargas, a student donor.
What does the blood drive mean to you?
Haskett: It’s a great outpouring of the Westmont community because adults donate, staff donate, but most importantly the students make up the majority, students who wouldn’t donate before, this starts them on a lifelong journey of donating. To motivate students to donate, we tell student stories, foremost among them was the epic story of Ms. Tighe’s survival when she needed 720 pints of blood to stay alive. Student’s remember that and they have a first hand account of how they are donating and are going to save a life. They can look at the joy from Ms. Tighe and know they are making a difference.
Averi: It’s a place where someone can do something good for the sake of others.
Mason: To be able to help support people, helping people with their health.
What has been your past involvement in the Westmont blood drive?
Haskett: At least 10 years.
Averi: None. But this year it seemed like it would have a positive impact on those around me.
Mason: None, but it is never too late to get involved in something.
What would you say to someone who was thinking about donating?
Haskett: You might be afraid of needles, but what’s scarier than needles is death. So the more important lesson is we can be selfish and insulated our whole lives but we finally become full people when we are selfless and the blood drive is a great way of doing that.
Averi: You should totally do it.
Mason: Go for it. If you are thinking about donating, don’t hesitate to do what you think is right,
How do you think the blood drive makes a difference in our community?
Haskett: The staff here know how great the Westmont students are. This is the best school. We all love Westmont, but the adults on the outside don’t know that. But when we have people from the community come see a room full of students joyfully helping others and being selfless, they remember that. The phlebotomists from Stanford always pay a compliment to the students. They always tell me how they love coming here because the students are so awesome. At the last blood drive one of the phlebotomists said “why can’t all the schools we go to be like Westmont.”
Averi: It unites us.
Mason: It helps show that you have support.