In partnership with the Red Cross, St. Peter’s Key Club helped organize a blood drive on Monday, December 2, and saw participation from St. Peter’s students along with members of the community.
St. Peter’s Senior Rachel Kleman was among those who donated blood. A first-time donor, Kleman stated that she was a little hesitant at first about donating; however, she was inspired to donate by her grandfather who suffered an illness that required donated blood.
Mansfield community member Ramona Mills also donated. She said that she has been giving blood for the past 13 years and tries to give at least three times yearly. “It’s nice to see all of the kids donate,” she added.
According to St. Peter’s Key Club advisor Anne Rhodes, approximately 30 St. Peter’s students signed up to donate.
She explained that the Key Club tries to organize a blood drive at least twice a year. This year, the club would like to have three drives.
“The kids who organized this did a great job,” said Rhodes. The students who spearheaded this project were seniors, Josh Adamescu, Katie Larson, and Joe Rall. “I was really impressed with their effort—they helped publicize the drive, worked with the Red Cross, and made sure everything was prepared.”
She added, “This is been the best response that I’ve had with kids taking the lead on a project.”
Key Club member Andrew Stein also participated in the blood drive. He stated that as part of his service project with Key Club, he wants to collect money for a sandwich drive that he hopes to host during Christmas time at the Salvation Army in Cleveland.
He explained that many of the Key Club members perform their own service projects and participate in different events hosted by Key Club.
There are approximately 48 members in the St. Peter’s Key Club. They have also helped out with projects such as Make a Difference Day and pancake breakfasts at the Richland County Fairgrounds.
For their next project, Rhodes stated that they hope to help out at the Tiny Tim Shoppe in downtown Mansfield this winter for another project.
