Sunday, March 23, 2025
For students with an altruistic streak community service can take on many forms: volunteering at a food bank, tutoring younger kids. But for Valley Stream Central High School Honor senior Anderson Estrada giving back comes in the form of a needle, a tube, and a pint of life-saving blood. Estrada is a blood donor and an early one at that.
“I had to get my parent’s signature when I first donated,” said Estrada. “I was 16.”
As the New York Blood Center fends off twin crises —a blood supply deficit and a recent ransomware attack— there is a deeper existential problem: lifelong donors are aging out. Fresh blood and fresh-faced donors, like Estrada, are in high demand. The need for a new generation of donors has become more pronounced than ever. Some, like Estrada, are already shaping up to become a lifelong giver. He and his National Honor Society advisor Franco Visione discussed the challenges, questions, and promises of giving blood.
Q: What motivates students to donate blood?
Anderson Estrada: So it was something that my sister had originally done when she went to Central and when I joined NHS, it was something that I wanted to be a part of. One of the biggest things that we talk about is being able to, you know, of course, save lives and help others out who are less fortunate in certain situations.
Visione: Truthfully, at the outset, a lot of kids donate because they can miss class. But then you speak to them afterward and they realize ‘Wow, I helped a stranger who needs blood.’ It’s beautiful. I myself went to Central and that’s where I first gave blood and where I developed the habit of giving blood throughout my life.”
Q: How do you encourage other students to donate and what are some obstacles?Estrada: I guess some people don’t necessarily trust someone to draw their blood. Some people are just scared of needles. But personally, I’ve done it multiple times, and I would say most students have been really excited about donating. One of the biggest questions I hear is ‘Do I have to ask my parent’s permission.’ We have blood donation posters we put around the school and have morning announcements telling students where and when they can donate.
Visione: We have a student-run video news show every Monday where run a commercial about blood donations. Anderson is also one of the students who will go into classrooms for 11th and 12th graders and do a little spiel about the importance of giving blood and how it can potentially help someone in need and even save a life.
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