Yo Young Blood Donors!

Yo yo yo! Wuz up, my dawgs?! Wanna shake your laffy taffy all the way down to the Red Cross to donate some blood? I heard that helping to save lives is all that and a bag of chips. Playas, scrubs and wangstas agree that donating blood is da bomb… Boo Ya!

So, maybe 90s slang isn’t cool anymore and maybe I need to let go of my love for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (never!). But the point here is this: no matter how you say it, high school-age donors aren’t afraid to help save lives through blood donation.

Each year, thousands of youth donate blood throughout the Pacific Northwest region. Every blood donation that’s made can help save up to three people’s lives. You do the math. That’s a whole lot of lives helping to be saved by high school-age blood donors.
To help ensure that each young blood donor has a positive donation experience, the Red Cross has recently implemented new blood donor criteria for youth. The updated guidelines are based on height and weight and apply to all high school students, regardless of their age, who present to donate at high school blood drives, and all donors younger than 19 years of age who present to donate at blood drives outside of the high school setting.

Even if you’ve donated blood with the American Red Cross in the past, you may not be able to now, based on the new requirements. Take a look at the new criteria posted here to see if you might be able to donate blood.

Can’t donate now? You may be able to one day. Don’t forget to re-check your blood donor eligibility in the future. In the meantime, consider volunteering at your high school’s blood drives (a great way to earn your free cookies and juice!).

2 comments

  • I don't know if 90s slang was ever cool, however Will Smith most definitely is still cool 🙂 And his last film, Seven Pounds, was all about the power of giving life through giving a (biological) part of yourself. Like giving blood!

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