Ironwood students donate blood for a cause

IRONWOOD - The gym at Luther L. Wright was temporarily converted into a medical center Wednesday as the American Red Cross held a blood drive at the school.

"There's always a need for (blood)," said Ironwood teacher Cheryl Jacisin, who helped organize the drive. "People in surgeries, catastrophes, accidents; there is always a need for blood."

The drive was one of two hosted at the school each year, Jacisin said, with another summer blood drive usually held off-campus due to the lack of air conditioning in the gym.

A preliminary count at the end of the drive indicated that it had exceeded its goal of 42 units of donated blood, Jacisin said.

Ironwood junior Niko Farrell was one of the donors who helped exceed the goal. It was the fourth time in the two years since he turned 16 and became eligible to donate.

"It's always nice to help people," Farrell said, explaining why he donates. "There's not much I can really do beside this."

Representatives from the high school student senate and council as well as the school's JROTC program assisted the Red Cross workers throughout the day.

According to information on the American Red Cross's website, every two seconds, someone in the country needs blood. Each donation can save up to three lives, according to the website, with 80 percent of donations coming from mobile blood drives such as the one at the school.