On Thursday, February 27, 2014, students lined up to take part in saving lives. Tunstall’s Beta Club partnered with the Danville Regional Blood Donor Center  in providing a blood drive available for students and teachers. This is the second blood drive that has taken place during this school year.

Roughly 30 students and teachers signed up to donate their blood; however, eleven were actually able to give after the pre-screening process. Some reasons for students being turned away for ineligibility to give include: their weight falling below 130 pounds; low iron levels; high heart rate; recent piercings; medications; or recent travel outside of the country. On the day of the blood drive, students must fill out a lengthy questionnaire and go through a pre-screening test to determine if they are eligible to donate.

If eligible, then 1 liter of blood is taken, juice and crackers are given, and the student is sent on his or her way to class.

Junior Stormy Rigsby gave blood at both blood drives this year and said: “It makes me feel like a better person because you can save lives.”

Senior Sabrina Cochran also realizes how greatly this one act of donating benefits others. “If I was dying, I would want someone to donate,” she said.

There is a possibility of a third blood drive taking place before the school year ends.