After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy on February 14, people across the world have been taking action to help out the Parkland community. Here in Scarsdale, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, located at 60 Wayside Lane, hosted a blood drive on Wednesday, February 28, from 4:30 to 9:00 PM.

The blood drive, run by the New York Blood Center, was originally intended to be a service project for Hurricane Harvey. However, it took a while for the youth leaders of the Church to reach the right date. “Our date coincided with the Parkland shooting, so we decided to send the majority of the pints of blood to local blood banks in Florida,” explained SHS Spanish teacher and LDS Church member Patricia Almanzar.

Many church members and high schoolers over the age of 16 donated, while other high school students volunteered to help out and escort the blood donors. Several prospective donors were unable to donate due to travel restrictions or health issues, while other donors were able to donate blood for their very first time. “Many of our donors were first time donors, so we hope they had a great experience and will donate again in the future,” commented Young Women Youth leader Kathryn Newman. Overall, the blood drive was very successful and provided much aid and support to victims in Parkland. The blood drive superseded its goal of 30 pints by collecting a total of 38 pints.