Community Stories

Sam is a CBC scholarship recipient and Gallon Grad scholar. His inspiration for blood donation came shortly after his grandfather was in a severe car accident and required many surgeries with donated blood.

“It made me realize that there are real people out there dealing with these problems and need blood—and if people like me don’t donate to help these people out, they’re not going to get the blood that they need,” said Sam.

Up until his grandfather’s accident, Sam had never considered donating blood due to a fear of needles. Because of his new passion for blood donation, he decided to face his fear and forced himself to try it.

“After I did it for the first time, my perception (of blood donation) completely changed. I completely got over my fear of needles because I realized people who need my blood are going through so much more pain than I am when I’m donating.”

Joining the Gallon Grad program inspired Sam to get other students involved in blood donation at his high school. After Sam started donating blood, more students started volunteering and even joining the Gallon Grad program as well.

“The most fulfilling thing has been able to put a positive face on this activity. Being able to go around and advertise the Gallon Grad program has really changed the way our students perceive this program in general.”

The Gallon Grad program also helped Sam become a better leader.

“If this is something you’re passionate about, or if this is something that you could see improvement in, don’t be afraid to try to make that change and fill that spot and become the leader for your school. Trust me, once people start seeing someone being a leader, they will follow.”

As Sam enters college in fall 2019, he intends to stay active with blood donation.

“Donating blood isn’t something that’s going to be left behind in high school—I’m going to take it along with me for the rest of my life and keep on giving back in that aspect.”

Make an impact and schedule your life-saving blood donation today.