“Our mission is more than words. We aim to prevent and relieve suffering with every action.” The beginning of the American Red Cross organization’s mission statement is not only about the purpose of the group but also an inspiration for Parker’s dedicated community members.
On January 31, Parker Red Cross Club held a five-hour blood drive during the school day. Faculty, staff, students, and parents showed up to donate blood for the American Red Cross. Organized completely by the Red Cross Club, this blood drive is a first for Parker in that it was arranged and carried out completely by students.
Red Cross Club at Parker, which has taken many forms over the years, was reestablished in 2023 by a group of current seniors: Beckett Nikitas, Judah Solomon, Birdie Goldblatt, and Emma Webster. In keeping with the “relieving suffering” message of the Red Cross, they wanted to revitalize the club to keep it on track for doing tangible good.
Parker Red Cross President Beckett Nikitas started planning the blood drive last year, and helped run the event this January. “Originally we had planned to run the drive in May of last year, but the pieces didn’t fall together in time,” Nikitas said. “At the beginning of this year we reached out to our club’s contact point at the Greater Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross who then connected us with some leaders in the Regional Biomedical Services division.”
After communicating with the Red Cross and the school about what time and space the blood drive could take up, the marketing started. “After we picked January 31, we started the campaign,” Nikitas said. “Advocacy was very important because in order to reach our goal of 25 units we needed at least 40 signups because ten to fifteen generally end up not qualifying to donate.”
The club set their modest goal of 25 units of blood and ended up receiving over 50. They set their goal low because, according to the Red Cross, blood donation is unpredictable. “Supply can’t always meet demand,” (a representative??) of the American Red Cross sais. “Only about three percent of age-eligible people donate blood yearly.”
“Giving blood was a great experience,” senior Lincoln Hamid said. “I’ve never given blood before, but I’m excited to do it again.” He attributes his good experience to the staff and volunteers. “The staff were very helpful and the process was smooth. Our Red Cross student volunteers knew what they were doing and were helpful as well.”
Besides hosting the first ever student-run blood drive at Parker, this new iteration of Red Cross under the Nikitas administration is different from past clubs because of its constant contact with the Red Cross. “In past years, the Red Cross Club was not affiliated with the actual Red Cross,” Red Cross Club Treasurer President Goldblatt said. “Since Beckett took it over last year, it’s become a very involved club with many members and multiple events a year. We’re in constant communication with the Red Cross, and they’ve been very complementary of our involvement with their projects.” The Red Cross Club has organized other events this year, too, such as their “Sound the Alarm!” event to help educate people on the importance of smoke alarms and how to check them.
According to Goldblatt, working with the Red Cross made their jobs easier. “A lot of our planning for this event was about scheduling and raising awareness,” she said. “It was fairly easy because Red Cross handles equipment and nurses. Our job was primarily to get the Parker community involved. This meant making announcements at MX, Student Government, and parent committee meetings.”
So, with the success of this blood drive and Parker American Red Cross Club 2024-2025 in general, what’s next for the group?
“Red Cross really wants us to host another drive due to the nationwide blood shortage and the showout for this drive,” Goldblatt said. She is confident that the Red Cross Club will continue its journey at Parker after the current all-senior leadership graduates. “We have consistent and enthusiastic attendance from non-senior club members…we have already seen a lot of interest in continuing this club, which is very exciting.”
At the end of the semester, the Red Cross Club will have an election to determine its next leaders, who may organize another such blood drive. In keeping with the mission of the Red Cross, Parker will “relieve suffering” with every event that Red Cross organizes, a huge but important responsibility which next year’s student leaders will take on.
