On April, 26 the annual Blood Drive for the Mercy Clinic was held at Holt. The drive raised over 50 units of usable blood, but even more people signed up in an attempt to give, but were denied for reasons such as low iron, weight or  high heart rate. “This year was weird, because it’s probably the year we have had the most people get turned down,” Mrs. Chase said. But even with the amount of denials, the event was still able to go off without a hitch thanks to the help of Student Council and the staff of the mercy clinic.

After giving blood at the tables, students would be sent to the canteen to sit, eat and drink in the canteen to make sure that they are okay and able to go back to class. The canteen had many choices for food thanks to the businesses in Wentzville that were willing to donate food. The business sponsors of the event include Buffalo Wild Wings, Imo’s Pizza, Papa Johns, Jimmy Johns, From Scratch Bakehouse, Marco’s Pizza and Elbee’s. “Honestly, the main reason I did donate blood was the food, so I’m very happy the businesses were helpful, and donated meals,” junior Emma Hudson said. Without these businesses the Mercy Clinic would be unable to be as attentive to the recovery of those who donate, so everyone at the Blood Drive, workers and those who donated alike, were very appreciative of their help.

However, more members of the community came to help the blood drive than just those in the food and medical fields. The radio station 101.9 The Boost came out to Holt and set up a DJ booth in the gym where the Blood Drive was happening. They played music during the entire drive and let people who donated play games at the booth to win prizes. “All the stuff started coming in and I was like ‘Who is this?’ I didn’t know we had a DJ coming in. It was a pleasant surprise,” junior Ashley Meyer said. The music being played helped to destress many of the people who were about to have their blood drawn and helped to make the experience much more pleasant for all involved.

Blood Drives like this help to benefit, not just our high school and city, but also those surrounding us. “I feel like I’m helping to give back to my community, and I’m actually having a good time helping the blood drive flow too so it’s a win-win,” sophomore Emma Zak said. Student Council would like to thank all the students who donated, the mercy clinic and people who volunteered to help the blood drive function at its best.