Leakey ISD NHS and NJHS Members Conduct Blood Drive for STBTC
by Leakey ISD Webmaster
October 01, 2009
10/6/2009-News Release-Leakey Independent School District-Fred R. McNiel, Superintendent
Leakey ISD NHS and NJHS Members Conduct Blood Drive for STBTC
Eighteen members of the Leakey ISD National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) helped conduct a blood drive on Monday, September 21st to benefit one of their classmates and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center (STBTC). All Leakey ISD students who were at least sixteen years old and who had their parent’s written permission were allowed to donate a pint of blood. For many of these students this was their first time to donate. All were very brave with only a little fear and trepidation showing on some of their faces! Forty units (pints of blood) were donated by these students and other adult donors in the Leakey community and will be credited to the account of Sackett Hohman, a freshmen student at Leakey High School.
Sackett suffered an accidental gunshot wound to his right leg earlier this summer while hunting on horseback. This courageous young man spent several weeks in the University Hospital in San Antonio receiving medical treatment for his wound and several transfusions of blood in an effort by physicians to save the injured leg. After having been hospitalized for approximately three weeks, Sackett was able to return home and after a couple of weeks of bed rest he was finally able to return to Leakey ISD where he is now attending school on a regular basis.
Typically hospitals charge patients $700 per unit of blood used during surgery. This means that nearly $28,000.00 worth of whole blood was collected and credited to Sackett’s account at the hospital. More than forty pints were collected in this recent blood drive but the NHS and NJHS students are engaged in friendly competition with other schools in the South Texas area and consequently did not want to reveal how many pints had been totally collected at the Leakey ISD campus. The small school in South Texas (those with fewer than one hundred junior and senior students) that has the highest percentage of donations based on their enrollment will receive a $1,000.00 cash prize for their efforts!
On September 1st, the NJHS students pictured above traveled to San Antonio to visit the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. These lovely representatives of the Leakey ISD NJHS were honored and recognized at an awards ceremony at the STBTC. They were presented a check for $1,000.00 since Leakey ISD had won the contest for the 2008-2009 school year. After the awards ceremony the students were treated to snacks and were given a tour of the processing building at STBTC. Last year the NHS and NJHS collected more than one hundred pints of blood during four collection dates held during the school year. The NJHS students accepting the $1,000.00 check are: (left to right) Sara Reagor, Kensie Auld, Brianna Rubio, Courtney Martinez, and Miranda Cave.
The STBTC representatives will be back on the LISD campus to conduct another blood drive on November 16th. All area residents are encouraged to come by and donate a pint of blood. STBTC representatives remind us that “blood is the gift of life”! The Leakey ISD administration wants to especially thank NHS and NJHS sponsors, Beth Manglberger and Karen Kurz, for their leadership in helping the students plan, produce, and conduct this important service project.