On Thursday, October 6, 2022, the DLS Medical Club, led by science teacher Mrs. Mary Balamucki who is the group’s moderator, held a successful blood drive, netting 39 pints of blood that will benefit 117 patients. 

Working with the Versiti Blood Center of Michigan, 41 students and 9 faculty and staff members signed up to donate. The students were all first-time donors!

The Medical Club students handled set up in the DLS Bill Fox Gymnasium, as well as tear down at the end of the drive. Additionally, students handled two-hour shifts at the “After Care” table, where donors sit for 15 minutes and have a post-donation snack. Students also manned the hydration station and the registration table. 

According to Balamucki, national statistics show that if someone doesn’t donate during high school, the likelihood of donating isn’t until that person turns 35 years of age. 

Balamucki said, “Our nation is currently in a severe blood shortage. There's been a 10% drop in donations since March 2020, and a 62% decrease in college/high school blood drives. Before COVID, student donors made up about 25% of the blood supply; during the pandemic, they were only 10%. Many hospitals currently have such low supplies they have to ration the blood that is available. Patients who desperately need blood can’t get it."

She added, "We wanted to help with that. Giving blood is a wonderful way to serve your community, and with service being at the center of what we do here at DLS, it was an easy decision to make. The boys in the Medical Club did a wonderful job planning and managing the Blood Drive. I could not be more proud of them and all the students donated blood to help others.”

The DLS Medical Club next meets on Monday, October 17, 2022.  

Interested students should contact Mrs. Balamucki at  mbalamucki@delasallehs.com