James Campbell High School (JCHS) hosts a tri-annual blood drive through the Blood Bank of Hawaii (BBH). Typically, JCHS averages around 40 donations per drive. Representing only one percent of the current JCHS student body.

A single pint, or donation, is separated into three parts meaning that 40 donations could be the equivalent to 120 lives saved by JCHS students and faculty in one day alone. But it could be more. JCHS juniors and seniors, the most likely to be meet the age requirements for donation, represent approximately half of the over 3,000 students at JCHS. If only half of those juniors and seniors donated, the current number of donations would increase by 3700%.

However, with the current number of donations, only one bloodmobile is needed to service donors. On the other hand, Kapolei High School (KHS), which accommodates 1,000 less students than JCHS, requires two bloodmobiles per drive. Meaning that KHS services approximately double the amount of donors that JCHS does.

KHS does have an advantage in it’s more readily available parking, opening their drive to the Kapolei community as well as the student and staff of KHS, but JCHS could substantially surpass the amount of donations made in the KHS blood drive if only JCHS students took advantage of the opportunity that a school run blood drive is.  

Aside from the moral reward that donating blood is, a JCHS senior that has donated blood three or more times during their senior year may be eligible for a red honor cord at graduation. A special thanks from the Blood Bank of Hawaii on behalf of the lives saved using blood that has been given so generously.

Opportunities for change in the community are given to those that choose to look for it. JCHS students need not look any farther than the blood drive being held on