With fall underway, students at many high schools and colleges are rolling up their sleeves in more ways than one.

Every year, students nationwide join the American Red Cross as blood donors and blood drive sponsors, all in an effort to help hospital patients in need. Students coordinate blood drives throughout the academic year, with many blood drives concentrated in October and November, and then again in March and April. And student-run drives are sometimes open to the public—including alumni.

“Student donors and coordinators are extremely loyal to their schools and communities,” said Tracy Duncan Fox, communications manager for the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross. “Blood drives are a great way to build school spirit, engage in public service, and make a difference to people who need blood for emergency or ongoing medical care. Students are terrific ambassadors for our life-saving cause, and are greatly appreciated by the hospitals and patients served through the American Red Cross.”

High schools and colleges sponsor about 19 percent of Red Cross blood drives in the coverage area of Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Donors through these drives can range in age from 16 to 25, and give about 30 percent of blood collected in the parts of Indiana, Michigan and Ohio served by the Red Cross.

At many schools and colleges, annual blood drives are a long-standing tradition. On average, 93 out of 100 blood drives repeat year-after-year at high schools, and about 90 out of 100 at colleges and universities.

“Students are a major force in building and maintaining the blood supply,” said Duncan Fox. “Their involvement in blood donation activities is one example of the important role this generation will play in America’s future.”

The American Red Cross is holding four blood drives in Kosciusko in October. Those are:

Wednesday, Oct. 3 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ivy Tech Community College, 2545 Silveus Crossing in Warsaw
Tuesday, Oct. 9 –  12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Center Lake Pavilion, 117 Canal St. in Warsaw
Tuesday, Oct. 9 –  1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at North Webster Church of God, 302 N. Main St. in North Webster
Monday, Oct. 15 – 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Syracuse Elementary School in the gymnasium, 502 W. Brooklyn St. in Syracuse.

Go to redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code “syraelem” to schedule your blood donation appointment at this Pint Size Heroes blood drive.

How to Donate Blood
To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information.

Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in Indiana), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.