Cartersville, Cass High schools receive Blood Assurance Heroes Grants

In honor of their contributions to Blood Assurance over the 2022-2023 school year, Cartersville and Cass high schools were awarded a pair of grants from the regional blood center.

Cartersville High received $1,250 for its two blood drives and Cass High secured $500 for holding one. The blood drives were presented by the schools’ Health Occupations Students of America organizations.

“We knew that it was a possibility of being awarded the grant money but did not know how much until all of our donation numbers were in,” said Phillip Hardy, Cartersville High’s Healthcare Pathway teacher, head athletic trainer and HOSA advisor. “Obviously, $1,250 helps out significantly as our students need to raise funds to support the HOSA chapter organization. These funds will help offset costs of future conferences for our HOSA members.”

During the blood drives, conducted Nov. 1 and March 21, CHS collected 164 units of blood.

“Our students pride themselves in giving back to our community,” Hardy said. “Cartersville is our home and we want to help save lives. Blood Assurance gives us the opportunity to make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors.”

Looking ahead, Hardy shared HOSA club’s goal for the 2023-2024 school year is to collect 300 units.

“I want the students at CHS to realize the impact each student can make when we come together as a team to help support the community we love so much,” Hardy said. “A little prick in the arm can make a huge difference in three lives.

“We want to thank the partnership we share with Blood Assurance and Piedmont Cartersville. Our HOSA chapter board has already met for this school year. We have a blood drive scheduled for Friday, Nov. 3, and we are planning several educational events for our members.”

The local schools’ special funding was part of Blood Assurance’s Heroes Grant Program, which has generated nearly $102,000 for high schools since its inception two years ago.

“Blood Assurance has been providing scholarships for high school students since 1999 in memory of Crystal Green,” said Linda Hisey, Blood Assurance’s community engagement and development administrator. “In 2021, we changed over to a grant program to benefit more students in the schools instead of individual students.

“The Heroes Grant Program was developed to reward those schools who host blood drives for Blood Assurance and we still honor Crystal Green, who was a student at Dade County High School, before going on to Georgia Southern. Crystal had aplastic anemia requiring many blood transfusions. Crystal also received a bone marrow transplant but she eventually succumbed to the disease.”

This year, 53 high schools across Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee were awarded portions of the total $52,500 funding, with amounts ranging from $500 to $2,000 each.

“There are several factors regarding the amount of their Heroes Grant,” Hisey said. “How many units they collected, was it a first time drive, did they increase the number of drives they hosted, did they exceed last year’s totals, did they have a drive during the summer months, etc.

“High school students understand the need, they are very giving and want to help out wherever they can. Some have seen the struggle firsthand that cancer patients go through or have heard of trauma cases where blood saved lives. We want to ensure that all students are educated and informed about the vital importance of blood donation. Blood Assurance’s blood collections stay in the service area of our hospitals, meaning that your blood is helping your family, friends and neighbors.”

Blood Assurance was established in 1972 and presently assists medical facilities in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee. The regional blood center has served as Piedmont Cartersville’s sole blood supplier for more than 15 years.

“Of all the blood collected annually, Blood Assurance receives 10% from high school students,” Hisey said. “This demographic is extremely important to the blood supply, as the students are usually healthy and on less medications than our other blood donors.

“If Blood Assurance can get students started donating blood in high school, we usually keep them donating after graduation and throughout their lives. Students are the future of blood donation.”

Echoing Hardy’s comments, Cass High’s Craig Millsap also was excited to learn his school is the recipient of a Heroes Grant. The retired Bartow County fire chief is now serving as Cass’ health care sciences teacher and the advisor of its HOSA chapter.

“I was thrilled,” Millsap said, referring to Cass High being awarded $500 from Blood Assurance. When we receive funds, like these, it allows us to further our HOSA club by using the monies to offset the membership dues for participating or offer grant opportunities for lower income students to be able to actively participate in club activities they otherwise might not be able to.”

Millsap shared more than 80 students and teachers registered to donate at Cass High’s spring blood drive March 23, which collected 61 pints.

“The blood drive serves multiple purposes not only for our HOSA club members but our entire student body as a whole,” he said. “By hosting the blood drive, our club members advertise the blood drive; recruit and sign-up volunteers; and assist Blood Assurance during the drive with tasks, like getting volunteers signed in for their appointments, giving snacks and drinks out after the volunteers [are] finished donating and observing the participants for any issues that might arise.

“This gives our club members real-world practice on some of the things involved with the health care profession. Additionally, our other students have the opportunity to help others through their donation and hopefully see the need for continuing to be a donor in the future, as they or a loved one may need to be a recipient at some point.”

Looking back at past drives, Millsap shared these outreach efforts continue to be well received.

“The student body and faculty at Cass have always been phenomenal in supporting our blood drives,” he said. “Many students have given multiple times and end their high school career being able to wear a red honor cord, signifying their donations. Those, who are not eligible or couldn’t participate in a previous blood drive, will often stop me in the hallway and ask when the next one will be now that they meet the requirements.”

Area residents currently are being urged by Blood Assurance to donate. In its news release Aug. 14, Blood Assurance noted, “Over the last week, the community blood supply has significantly diminished. Multiple emergency room patients at area hospitals have required a considerable number of units in order to survive. As of Monday, the blood bank had about a one-day’s supply of O-positive blood on its shelves.”

In Bartow County, Blood Assurance’s donor center is located at 334 Cherokee Place in the Main Street Shopping Center. The Cartersville facility is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Generally, most individuals 17 and older — 16 with parental consent — who weigh more than 110 pounds can donate blood and platelets every 56 and seven days, respectively.

More information about scheduling a donation appointment can be obtained by calling Blood Assurance’s Cartersville donor center at 770-334-3261 or visiting https://donor.bloodassurance.org/donor/schedules/zip. Walk-ins also are welcome.