lending a helping hand

By Andrea A

Have you heard about the Red Cross Club? It’s a non-profit organization that is part of the American Red Cross.

The club is built up of all grade level students aspiring to make a difference in the world. One way in which they aim to help is through the annual blood drive.

Once a year at Yerba Buena, they host their annual blood drive in hopes to save lives. People from all sorts of ages and backgrounds receive from the drive.

Jaclyn: "During labor and birth, women might lose a lot of blood so if you match their blood type, the blood that you donate can go to them through a blood transfusion."

You may be wondering, what is the difference between YB’s medical club and the Red Cross club?

Jaclyn: "A lot of people asked what’s the difference between Red Cross club and Medical Club, and when we told them that it was focused on the service aspect, they were more interested."

On October 15, the Red Cross club was among the many of those who attended the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The event was open to all of Silicon Valley and was a great success!

While the club is great for leaving an impact on the community, it is also an opportunity to create friendships.

Jaclyn and Samantha Hyung are two of the co-presidents responsible for the Red Cross club.

Jaclyn: "I assign tasks to all the cabinet members and I help run the club and organize all the events, meetings, along with my other co-presidents."

Jaclyn and Samantha are also somewhat founders of the Red Cross club as previous members were only seniors…

Jaclyn: "When they graduated, there was no one to fulfill the positions so it died, but last year we decided that it was time to bring Red Cross club back."

In their spare time, they like jamming out to Taylor Swift or Nicki Minaj while also managing other clubs.

Due to the fact that they are in various clubs, they have learned the importance of time management.

Jaclyn: "This club also taught us time management is extremely important because we have other extracurricular activities to do and other academics, so we have to balance it out to make sure our club gets the attention it needs."

Samantha goes into further detail to speak on how the club has influenced them to be more social.

Samantha: "I love that we can talk to more people. It forces us to be more open, to be more confident and to make new friends."

It wasn't always as easy though, says Jaclyn, due to her parents having a different point of view on helping the community.

Jaclyn: "At first, they thought it was a time waster, but I was like no, no way 'cause serving the community is just as important as academics."

Both Jaclyn and Samantha encourage everyone to join the club! As of right now there is a current blood shortage worldwide. Even if you weren't to join the club, participating in the events alone could lead to the breakthrough in the life of someone in need. Jaclyn says anyone is capable of making a difference.

Jaclyn: "Yeah, of course anyone is capable. As long as you have the ambition to do it, you can do it, because these events are open to anyone. So just by participating, you're already making a contribution to the community."

If you or someone you know is interested in the Red Cross club, you can follow them on Instagram @ybhsredcross. They also have biweekly meetings open to everyone on Fridays at Room 246 during lunch.