The high school blood drive season is approaching, and some Pasadena ISD students are rolling up their sleeves to do their part.

Eight students from Tegeler Career Center recently attended The Power of Life Real World Workshop presented by The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and Memorial Hermann Hospital to learn how to better prepare a blood drive on their campus.

The Real World workshop is an event aimed at helping, recognizing and rewarding student groups hosting blood drives in local high schools.

“Gulf Coast Regional found that students are a major factor in collecting and donating blood,” said Tegeler’s nurse and trip sponsor Doris Linton. “This workshop is designed for high schools to network and brainstorm on how to start, give and improve on blood drives. It’s a great way for our students to get involved in this cause.”

Students interested in attending the workshop and organizing the school’s blood drive this year signed up, and eight students were chosen by teachers.

“Our students have a voice and leadership skills that can be used to help save lives,” Linton said. “And they do it every year.”

Students toured Hermann Hospital’s “Life Flight” helicopter after watching it make several landings. A flight nurse discussed necessary courses and requirements needed to work on the helicopter and the job of the receiving staff. The students also toured various special pediatric units of the hospital.

“Because we hold this workshop in partnership with Memorial Hermann, students can see up close in a hospital setting why hosting blood drives is so important,” said Gulf Coast Regional’s program manager Gilda Hart. “Hermann is a trauma hospital, so blood is extremely important to the work they do. By touring Life Flight and other areas of the hospital, it makes the need for blood real.”

Students also attended educational workshops providing information on the history of blood banking, facts and myths about donating blood, ways to conduct a good blood drive, facts about blood and statistics about donors. The students also toured a catheterization laboratory where a speaker presented the different equipment used, explained how the blood travels to the heart and later, the group viewed a catheterization procedure.

“Touring these areas gave us a close view of the necessity of donating blood,” Linton said. “The students often think accidents won’t happen to them. Seeing all the people in the hospital, especially the children, gave them a different perspective of life.”

The workshop also provides an opportunity for students and teachers to network with other high school groups and share ideas about blood drives.

With the motto “Commit for Life,” Hart said the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s main goal in this workshop is to get students involved in donating blood and to encourage them to share what they learn with other potential donors.

“We want to reward the groups for the hard work they do in hosting the blood drives and give them new information and ideas about ways to be successful,” Hart said. “I hope the workshop gave the students new insight as to how important their efforts truly are and will inspire them to ‘commit for life’ so in the long run, more lives are saved.”

Linton said in addition to developing and enhancing leadership qualities, she hopes this workshop helps instill a desire to pursue a career that may have not been considered.

“I want these kids to know that life goes beyond the city of Pasadena,” she said. “The students are the community, and what they do with it now will make a difference in their futures as well as the futures of those who come after them.”

Tegeler’s CIS worker Shnay Collins attended the workshop with the students and said it will help better prepare them for life beyond high school.

“Partnering with organizations such as Gulf Coast Regional and Hermann Hospital is important for our kids because it helps them see the daily need for blood donations for patients, and the students realize how fortunate they are and how important it is to reach out and help others,” Collins said. “This experience will help our students enhance life, leadership and social skills, as well as gain career awareness.”