By Daniel Thoelke

The NHS is hosting the Audubon blood drive at the high school on Monday March third. Many people are lining up to donate blood as a “way to give back to the school and community” as social studies teacher Randy Spies would put it. Some don’t have to give blood to donate. Senior Bradley Nissen is part of the NHS and is donating his time to working at the blood drive instead of donating blood. Nissen doesn’t donate blood because he is too afraid to, but said “I rationalize it that I am donating my time instead of my blood.”
It is important to donate blood especially if you have a rare blood type like Spies who has AB+ and donates every year. He said he donates because “I know blood has a very short shelf life so,” with his blood type being rare, “it is important that people who are able and willing to donate blood do so.” There is always a big turnout to the blood drive for people to donate. Nissen says this is because a lot of people are “often unselfish people who love to help others and give back.”
Spies said that he thinks “in many cases people have either personally benefited from blood donations or a friend or family member did.” Saying that they know what donating blood means and how it saves lives that it can be “a very powerful motivation, to know that your simple donation of blood may in fact save someone's life.”
We all can give back to the community whether it’s donating blood or volunteering, either way you are still helping others.
It is important to donate blood especially if you have a rare blood type like Spies who has AB+ and donates every year. He said he donates because “I know blood has a very short shelf life so,” with his blood type being rare, “it is important that people who are able and willing to donate blood do so.” There is always a big turnout to the blood drive for people to donate. Nissen says this is because a lot of people are “often unselfish people who love to help others and give back.”
Spies said that he thinks “in many cases people have either personally benefited from blood donations or a friend or family member did.” Saying that they know what donating blood means and how it saves lives that it can be “a very powerful motivation, to know that your simple donation of blood may in fact save someone's life.”
We all can give back to the community whether it’s donating blood or volunteering, either way you are still helping others.