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Cooper River CAS hosts school and community blood drive
Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) hosted a school and community blood drive Tuesday, March 9, 2021. This was the first of two blood drives planned for this year; the next one is scheduled for May 5, 2021.
Dr. Tawnya Cox, Cooper River CAS health science teacher, has been organizing school blood drives for the last four years at North Charleston High School where she is a former teacher. Dr. Cox partnered with the American Red Cross to host community blood drives at the new CAS, so her students could get hands-on experience.
“The blood drive is part of our vision to integrate the skills our students are learning back into our community,” said Principal Vanessa Brown. “We promised our students real-world training and this is an example of how our students gaining relevant industry education. I am proud to know that the Cooper River Center can sponsor community service projects like this and many others that will positively impact the lives of our students and the families we serve.”
In the past, the effort enabled Cox and her students to give back to the community. It also allowed her to surprise one lucky senior with a scholarship from the Red Cross. Scholarships are awarded based on the number of units of blood collected. They will not meet that threshold this year, due to limited slots available, but Cox is already planning for next year.
COVID-19 has limited the number of blood donors that could be accommodated. Cox is confident that next year the blood drive will return to normal. Traditionally that would mean her health science students not only host the blood drive but handle recruitment among their peers and the community and run the operation from registration to collection.
Jade Reyes is a senior in Cox’s class and plans to pursue nursing. By taking pharmacology classes at Cooper River, she has secured all the certifications she will need to work as a pharmacy technician upon successful completion of her exam. She was on hand Tuesday as a volunteer for the blood drive and as a donor. Reyes said she was appreciative of the hands-on experience.
For more information, contact Principal Brown at (843) 856-6790.