WEST CHESTER, Ohio – The beat goes on for blood drive excellence at Butler Tech.  In just its first year the new Bioscience Center earned a $1,000 High School Leadership Grant from Community Blood Center and on Monday, Oct. 24 students celebrated the award on the anniversary of the center’s first blood drive.

The Bioscience Center earned the leadership grant for “Second Highest Percentage of Blood Drive Participation.” Most of the Bioscience Center’s 275 students are pursuing careers in health.  They supported the center’s three blood drives in the 2015-2016 academic year with 114 percent of enrollment registering to donate.

Bioscience Center participation was the second highest among the 118 high schools that hosted 226 blood drives last year in CBC’s 15-county region of eastern Indiana and western Ohio.

Blood drive Coordinator Laura Eby gathered all the volunteers on the blood drive committee for the award presentation and gave credit to the organizing skills of committee president Hannah Klaassen.

“There’s a huge interest in the health field,” said Hannah. “They want to be doctors and nurses when they come over here. They know how they can help save lives and they want to do it. They want to make a difference.  They want to get that phone call that says your donation saved lives!  That’s what they care about, they’re really passionate.”

It marks the fifth grant CBC has awarded to Butler Tech. The D. Russel Lee Career Technology Center is CBC’s most active high school blood drive sponsor with six blood drives per year.  It has dominated the “Most Donors” grant, winning it three consecutive years.

Wayne High School ended Butler Tech’s streak by claiming the “Most Donors” grant for 2015-2016, but the Bioscience Center continued Butler Tech’s winning tradition.  Monday’s blood drive was the first of three scheduled this year, and it represented a solid start with 103 donors, 54 first-time donors and 77 donations for 100 percent of the recruitment goal.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the Bioscience blood drive is the sky high view from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Donor Room.  Students gazed at miles of blue sky and West Chester’s fall color as they donated.

Senior Health Technology student Elizabeth Craft made her fourth lifetime donation Monday. “I wanted to give people my blood who need it,” she said. “If I can save a life, it’s amazing.”

Organization was flawless at the blood drive as students followed colorful signs from check-in, to registration, to screening along the open corridors overlooking the lobby.

Senior blood drive volunteers Keirsten Mays and Luke Stickler both made their milestone fifth lifetime donation Monday.  “I’m on the Care Team,” said Keirsten. “I like taking care of people and I want to go into nursing.”

“I’m on the Cookie Team,” said Luke. “We watch everyone after they donate. I wanted to be the face saying ‘How are you doing?’ making sure everything is OK.”

CBC annually awards five High School Leadership grants. Recipients for 2015-2016 also Seton Catholic High School for “Highest Percentage of Enrollment,” Fairmont High School for “Red Cord Excellence,” and the Warren County Career Center for “Most Improved.”

Butler Tech also sponsors blood drives at its School of the Arts and Natural Science Center. The next Bioscience Center blood drive will be Jan. 31, 2017.