The Red Cross blood drive was hosted in the small gym on Sept. 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To participate in future donations, donors must be at least 16 years of age with a signed permission slip. Donors who are 17 and older do not require a permission slip, but all donors need a photo ID, according to redcrossblood.org.

“We had 43 students at our blood drive—21 walk-ins and 22 had scheduled appointments,” NHS sponsor Alexa Huseman said. “The Red Cross was able to collect about 40 units of blood.”

The Red Cross collects donations in order to help save lives. About 6.8 million people donate blood in the U.S. yearly, which adds up to 13.6 million units of blood collected. Forty percent of the nation’s blood and blood cell components are provided by donors through the Red Cross. Blood donations are used for patients in surgery, blood transfusions and cancer treatment, according to redcrossblood.org.

“Donating is important because there are a large number of medical benefits for the people who receive the blood,” senior Evie Wilcher said. “It’s also important when it comes to medical research.”