Seventh graders learn value of blood donations
By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
The seventh-grade students at Whitewater Middle School were a perfect audience for Michelle Meekma-Yaun, a donor recruitment representative for the American Red Cross during a presentation about blood donation on Feb. 5.
The students were completing a unit in their science classes on the human circulatory system and the school is gearing up for the sixth Annual Laurine Maas Blood Drive on Feb. 20 from 1 to 6 p.m.
Meekma-Yaun covered a variety of topics about human blood (red cells, plasma, platelets, blood types, etc.) and about donating blood (requirements to donate blood, the process of donating blood, how blood is used, etc.).
According to Meekma-Yaun, the two main reasons that people do not donate blood is that no one has ever asked them or that they do not know about the critical need for donated blood.
Even though the students are not old enough to donate blood, they are encouraged to urge their parents, older siblings, other relatives and neighbors to be donors.
The Laurine Maas Blood Drive is named in honor of Mark Maas’ mother. Maas serves as the WMS Dean of Students.
Maas said, ”My mom received two units of blood each month because of a disease she had called milar fibrosis. Without these monthly transfusions, she would not have survived. Our family will be forever grateful for the gifts of blood donations that people gave and continue to give so that others may live.”
WMS School Counselor Bev Bonge-Ganser (known by the students as Ms. B-G) organizes the blood drive and said that the target for this year is 65 units.
“Our annual Laurine Maas blood drive is just one of the many ways our school attempts to give back to the community who so strongly supports us,” said Principal Tanya Wojciechowicz. “Our hope is that the service we provide today makes a lifetime of difference for someone else.”
