St. Pat’s Ranks #1 for Blood Donations
September 11, 2009

The Shamrocks of St. Patrick donated 309 units of blood during their 2008-2009 LifeSource blood drives placing the school first among all participating Illinois Catholic high schools. The year prior the school placed third behind Carmel and St. Rita. The jump to the top was the result of a 33 percent increase in donations from the previous year. For 2008-2009 the Shamrocks also placed 24th out of more than 150 participating schools, both public and private. “The results are amazing considering most high schools in the program are two to three times the size of St. Pat’s,” said drive coordinator and St. Pat’s teacher Rachel Proulx. Proulx also noted that age requirements for donors further decreases St. Pat’s pool of potential donors. “Only students 16 and older can participate, and those students who are just 16 must have signed parental consent,” said Proulx.

This year’s blood drives have been scheduled for Wednesday, November 4 and Wednesday, March 10. Proulx hopes stepped up marketing efforts in the weeks leading up to the drives continue to extend the school’s successful donations.