Key Club’s third and final blood drive of the 2024-2025 school year signaled the approaching close to another season of giving. In collaboration with the New York Blood Center (nybc.org), Key Club collected 104 pints of blood on Wednesday, Apr 2. Key Club’s dedication meant that the club has been able to collect a record-breaking total of 315 pints—impacting 945 lives over the course of a single year.
Key Club, previously Leadership Club prior to 2016, has been hosting blood drives since 1998. Senior and Key Club Co-president Erick Diaz expressed his pride for the organization: “It is incredible to see our own Key Club continue the legacy of these tri-annual blood drives…it is amazing to see how much these events have progressed.”
The drive’s impact is not only measured in the lives saved. For reaching the goal of 300 pints, the New York Blood Center (NYBC) recognized Key Club’s achievements by awarding five $400 scholarships to senior students, totaling $2,000. NYBC’s gratitude did not stop at Key Club; students who have donated blood at least three times during their high school career will wear a red cord at graduation, which symbolizes empathy, as explained by business teacher and Key Club advisor Benedict Tieniber.
For Diaz and his fellow seniors and co-presidents, Kelsey Roth and Kate Santoli, the final drive was a bittersweet moment. “I am so grateful to work alongside our amazing advisor, Dr. T, and my co-presidents,” Roth added, “[and I am] so proud of all we have accomplished.” For Santoli, her final blood drive felt surreal: “[I am] honored to have been able to play a role in making [the blood drive] happen.”
Having volunteered at Key Club blood drives since his freshman year, Diaz relished in the bittersweet moment. “[I am] truly inspired by how much of a difference this singular day event can make. It is crazy how much of an impact a small gymnasium with around 100 people can make on a community, a family, or a singular individual,” Diaz reflected
As the graduating leaders pass the torch, they leave behind a legacy of compassion, service, and community spirit.
