Key Club Collects Vital Blood Donations

The Huntington High School Key Club held its first blood drive since the COVID-19 pandemic struck more than two years ago and collected 31 pints of vitally needed blood that when broken down holds out the possibility of saving as many as 100 lives.

The Key Club members partnered with Long Island Blood Services for the drive, which was held in the high school auditorium. “While not everyone who was willing to donate could, we are extremely grateful to everyone who showed interest,” said senior Kate Balm, president of this year’s Key Club.

Ms. Balm and her fellow executive board members Charlotte Gordon (vice president), Brooke Parks (secretary), Haileigh Smith (treasurer), Victoria Befumo (publicist) and Jack Ruthkowski (attendance) and faculty advisors Kelly Krycinski and Gina Colica were stationed in the main lobby throughout the day, promoting the drive and admitting participants into the auditorium to complete the screening process.

“For each singular pint of blood donated, three lives can be saved and that’s why it is such a great thing to do if you are able to donate,” Ms. Balm said. “In total, we had 38 people participate and 31 people actually donate, two of which were our own executive board members. We were able to collect 31 pints of blood in total, averaging about 100 lives saved, which is huge.”

Key Club members worked hard to advertise the drive, which had previously been held several times a year for many decades. “Considering this was our first blood drive in three years, we feel it was very successful and are looking forward to our spring drive, where we hope to double the number of volunteers as well as the number of pints we receive. Overall, it was a very successful day and was great to see so many people, both students and staff in the high school willing to donate their blood to others who need it.”