Students ages 16 and up, as well as teachers and staff, can take part in the 10th annual blood drive. Sign-ups are taking place in the cafeteria right now until November 2nd.

The event will take place in the Small Gym on Friday, November 9th.

A parent permission slip will be given to students ages 16-17. These slips must be turned in by the mandatory meeting held before the blood drive begins on November 9th.

Dubuque Senior’s Student Council teams up with the Red Cross every year to get the word out about the importance of donating blood. “With every pint of blood collected at our event, three lives can be saved. The blood is separated into three—red blood cells, plasma, and platelets that can be used for three separate people. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. That is why this is such an important event we host at Senior,” said Lilly Smith, a member of Student Council and the blood drive committee.

“It is estimated that nearly 40,000 pints of blood are used every single day” according to an article by Orlandohealth.com, explaining why blood donations are so important.

Throughout the 10 years of Senior’s Student Council hosting the Blood Drive alongside the Red Cross, 592 pints of blood has been collected. Last year the Student Council collected 56 pints of blood. This year’s goal is at least 60 pints.