Stepinac HS Student-Led Blood Drive to Help Meet Critical Shortage of Life-Saving Supplies

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Feb. 28, 2018 - PRLog -- To help address the critical shortage of life-saving blood supplies, Stepinac High School students above the age of 17 will donate blood during a one-day drive to be held in the school's cafeteria, Thursday, March 1, from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

The drive, which will benefit the New York Blood Center, is being led by two top seniors (Class of '18)—Joseph Cappiello who will attend Trinity College and Chris Hecht who will study at the U.S. Air Force Academy.  The blood drive is also open to  parents and Stepinac's faculty and staff members.

Typically, Stepinac students participate in blood drives as part of the all-boys Catholic high school's tradition of service to the community to help those in need.  But, the timing of this drive coincides with an unusual decline in critically needed blood supplies because of inclement weather conditions and a severe flu outbreak this winter.  The combination of the two led to sharply lower turnouts at blood drives nationwide.

The Red Cross notes that regardless of weather conditions and the flu, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds which means that more than 36,000 blood donations are needed every day.  Donors like the Stepinac students, their parents, faculty and staff members will help meet patient needs including accident victims and patients with cancer, sickle cell disease, blood disorders and other sicknesses who depend on the supply of blood and platelets.

According to the Red Cross, nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S., a single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood, sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives and many individuals diagnosed with cancer need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.

About Archbishop Stepinac High School

The mission of Archbishop Stepinac High School is to offer young men of the Archdiocese of New York a highly competitive academic and extracurricular program that will prepare them for college and leadership roles. The faculty and staff accomplish these objectives by pursuing excellence and creating a supportive, disciplined atmosphere with a strong sense of camaraderie and Christian values that is unique to the Stepinac experience.