Vincent Massey Secondary School

Blood Donation Clinics '11-'12

Thank you for your interest in participating in one of our Blood Donation Clinics. This website tells you all you need to know, as well as provide electronic copies of the permission forms you must print, fill in and provide to be eligible to participate.

New time and day of week for our next clinic and meeting!!!!

Tuesday, Feb 21, 8:30 am (BEFORE period 1) to 1:00 pm

(Not Wednesday, as before)

Blood donor meeting, Friday, February 17, Senior Lunch, Room 102

(Not Monday, as before)

Forms are due by Friday, February 17, 2012, by 11:30am, in the folder taped to the door of room 204, or at the blood donor meeting.

Follow these two steps to Sign Up:

Step 1: Click here to electronically add your name to this sign up sheet (there are no paper sign up sheets, only this electronic one) if you plan on participating in a blood donor clinic (signing up here does not force you to participate, it simply indicates your interest in participating). If you sign up, but later decide that you don't want to or can't participate, please let Mr. Bontront know. You don't have to explain why.
Step 2: Click here to download the permission form. Print out all four pages, fill it out completely, sign it and place in the folder on the door to room 204. If you are a new donor and can't make it to the blood donor meeting, you MUST see Mr. Bontront before or after school BEFORE the blood donation clinic date.

A maximum of 30 students can participate in the blood donor clinic. The first 30 completed forms received by the above date will be allowed to participate.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to donate blood, you must:

Be at least 17 years of age
Weigh at least 50 kg (about 110 lbs)
Be in good health and feel well (can't have a cold, flu, fever, coughing, injury, disease, etc...)
Provide government-issued photo identification at the blood donor clinic (it must have your full name, photo and signature, such as a driver's license or new Ontario Health Card). If you have already donated blood, your Canadian Blood Services ID card is sufficient identification.
Your blood will be tested for the amount of iron it contains to make sure it has a minimum amount (so that it is safe for any potential recipent). You will also be asked several screening questions to determine if it is safe for you to donate blood and safe for any future recipient to receive your blood.

The following conditions or situations will temporarily make you ineligible to donate blood for the indicated time frame. If any of these situations apply to you, please do not hand in a permission form (if you signed up electronicallyor already handed in a form, please let me know you can't attend):

If you had a flu shot, you must wait at least 2 days before donating blood
If you had any kind of dental work (including a checkup and cleaning), you must wait three days before donating blood
If you have already donated blood, you must wait a minimum of 56 days before donating blood again (our blood clinic dates are 56 or more days apart)
If you have had any ear piercing, body piercing or tatoo, you must wait six months before donating blood
If you take any kind of medication or pills (other than vitamins), you may be ineligible to donate. To check in advance, call 1-888-2-DONATE and ask to speak to a nurse.
If you were born in, or have spent some time in, a country other than Canada or the US, you may be ineligible to donate. The list of countries that this applies to changes all the time. If this situation applies to you, call 1-888-2-DONATE and ask to speak to a nurse to find out if you are eligible to donate.

Things to do before you donate

Make sure you have a good breakfast and drink lots of fluids.
Drink at least 500 mL of water the morning of the donation (this makes it easier for the nurse to find your vein, and the needle hurts less!).
Bring your ID. You won't be allowed to board the bus without it (since you need it at the clinic to donate).
Bring your lunch and reading material, music or work to do. You will be there for about 4 hours and will spend most of your time waiting for your turn, or waiting for all the others to finish.

Transportation Details

A school bus will leave the school at 8:30am sharp (that's BEFORE period 1 starts!) for the blood donor clinic. You will return to Massey on the school bus sometime around 1:00 pm. You MUST return on the school bus. You cannot drive yourself to the clinic, nor drive yourself back home or back to school. If someone is planning on picking you up at the clinic, you MUST let Mr. Bontront know.

Visit the Canadian Blood Services website for more details about donating blood.