The American Red Cross is partnering with Pocono Medical Center to award $1,000 in local high school scholarships in Monroe County for blood drive involvement during the 2016-2017 academic school year. This scholarship is designed to encourage more students to get involved in lifesaving community services: blood and platelet donation, volunteerism and donor recruitment.
“Through our shared missions and long-standing commitment to our valued partnership, it is only natural that we support the American Red Cross in incentivizing our community to become more involved,” said Geoffrey M. Roche, Director of Public and Government Affairs of Pocono Medical Center. “Our support through these scholarships is rooted with the intent to create awareness and further educate the students on becoming leaders and advocates of health for our community.”
On average, the Red Cross must collect 14,000 blood donations every day for patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country, and as much as 20 percent of those donations come from students. The Red Cross could not meet patient needs without donations from students.
“The Red Cross truly appreciates Pocono Medical Center for being a committed partner for almost 20 years and for hosting more than 20 annual blood drives to help patients in need,” said Veronica Torres, district manager for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Blood Services Region. “Volunteer blood donors are needed every day to help keep the nation’s blood supply at adequate levels.”
The Red Cross is committed to providing the safest possible donation experience for students. Those who are 17 years of age and older (16 with parental/guardian consent in Pennsylvania), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate. Boys shorter than 5 feet and girls shorter than 5 feet 6 inches have to meet different weight criteria as a precaution to reduce the risk of reactions in young donors.
The Pocono Medical Center High School Scholarship is available to high schools in Monroe County who schedule and host at least two Red Cross blood drives during the academic school year. For more information, please contact Jacqueline Dercole at Jacqueline.Dercole@redcross.
How to donate blood
A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a home or work computer prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
