UCLA Blood Drive comes to El Camino

The UCLA Blood Drive came to El Camino on Aug. 28 to collect blood donations for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

“It’s been highly successful with a great turnout,” Community Liaison Deborah Alter said.

The blood drive visits the entire Los Angeles County at over 100 high schools. The hospital is low on blood during this time of the year, so donations are in great demand.

The process is not very grueling either, as “you just fill out the parental consent form, get a miniature physical, and if you pass, you get to donate blood, and hopefully save a life,” Alter said.

“Every day in UCLA Ronald Reagan [Medical Center] alone, we get tons of emergency cases that need transfusion,” Lab Technician Melanie Rethmeyer said, “so there’s a lot of people who need blood.”

The UCLA Medical Center said that it is grateful for its partnership with El Camino. Many students were happy to donate blood this year.

“It’s a great way to help out, and doesn’t take a lot of time,” senior Zach King said.

“I think people should donate because it really doesn’t take anything from you, but it makes a lot of difference in someone else’s life,” senior Tobi Orisarayi said.

As a member of student council, Orisarayi is responsible for coordinating the blood drive.

Many students donate in order to help others.

“I decided to donate blood to give back to the community,” senior Maggie Arroyo said.

“All the students here may not take this seriously, but saving a life is a serious thing, and this is a small step in that process,” Rethmeyer said.