Olentangy has hosted the annual blood drive for years now and it is a great way to donate blood to medical centers where it is needed for patients. This tradition has helped thousands of people in need of blood.
Student Council President, Bella Starr ‘26 has participated in the blood drive since her freshman year. The blood drive is a way to give back to her community, but it is also a way to give back to her family. This summer, Starr saw her Grandpa surfer from blood cancer. While he got his treatment at Ohio James Cancer facilities the blood needed for his treatment came from local community drives.
“The biggest challenge is getting people to book appointments beforehand, because students don’t like to book an appointment because they’re scared,” Starr said. “The best way we encourage the students is it doesn’t hurt and you get a snack, service hours, free sweatshirt, and skipping class.”
When teachers encourage students, it is the best way to get more students to donate to the blood drive, since most of them are scared. Some requirements students need to meet is they have to be 16 years old and have to fill out a parent consent waiver or be 17 plus.
“We have our student council executive team so I get all of the information from our blood drive host, Versiti, and then I am able to communicate with our exec team and then we assign roles and are able to divvy out information and logistics from there,” Anna McReynolds said.
McReynolds is the student council advisor for two years and she has seen what it’s like and she states the blood drive is a great way to be involved with the school and the overall goal is to be engaged which is better for the good of individuals around us.
“This will be my first blood drive and I will get to help out with recruitments. So my goal is to get people to donate the day of the blood drive,” Aria Kaka said.
Kaka is a sophomore at OHS and a member of Student Council. She says the events give students a chance to support the community for the betterment of people.
“The most rewarding element is the impact in the community. So many people need love and blood drives which are critical for those in need,” Kaka said. “It’s a classic event that makes us all work together. It’s a ton of work from behind and Bella does a ton of behind the scenes organizing. She puts everyone in their sports and plans how we would market the event.”
Through student leadership and school support, the annual blood drive remains an important opportunity for students to contribute to a cause beyond the classroom. The drive will be hosted Mar. 4, 2026 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Donors must provide a valid state ID and a parent waiver if 16. Student Council recommends you eat a full meal and drink plenty of water. If you want to donate, book an appointment with the link below or at the table during lunches.
