Grand Ledge High School annually hosts a blood drive through the Red Cross organization several times throughout the school year. Through this blood drive, Grand Ledge students, locals, and staff can donate a pint of blood that’ll end up going to someone in need.
Philip Dowker, a frequent donor, attended the blood drive Grand Ledge High School (GLHS) student council on Jan. 16, 2026. For Dowker, he was reaching an achievement – donating his 40th gallon of blood. After donating, he was pulled aside to share his reason for doing what he does for others.
“Well, my dad donated blood. He mentioned the good that it does for other people, and you know, for surgeries, they’re going to need blood. So I just donated whole blood for a long time, and they (Red Cross) said hey you should do/try platelets so I donated platelets for years as well,” Dowker shares.
After calculating, 40 gallons of blood means that Philip has approximately been contributing to the organization (Red Cross) for 40 to 50 years. While 52% of the population cannot stand needles, 10-20% encountering a phobia of them, and less than 3% of eligible adults provide.
Dowker is proud of standing in the 3%.
The Red Cross accepts donations every 56 days, roughly about 2 months, for whole blood, while platelets can be given every 7 days. Donating a pint of blood at a time requires the patron to be in shape. The individual must: feel well/healthy, be at least 16/17 years of age, weigh at least 110 lbs, and have a valid ID on hand. Reasons for a donation being postponed may include certain medications, infections/sickness, recent piercings or tattoos, or recent travel. Eating and drinking beforehand is a must. The recommendation is to eat iron-rich foods and drink 16 oz of water at least 1-3 hours before your appointment and 32 oz after to replace lost fluids. Avoiding these may result in nausea and/or lightheadedness after donating.
Student Council not only stresses the requirements of donating, but the preparation and execution of the blood drive as well, to ensure every step runs smoothly; even the blood.
Samantha Fent, a senior member of GLHS’s student council, admits how stressful the event was.
“So it kind of took us two weeks, but usually we take more than that. We had less time because of the winter break in between. The reason it takes so long is because we have to contact the Red Cross and set it up, and then businesses for, like, donating food,” Fent shares.
Planning it is not the only struggle Sam faces; promoting the drive is as well.
“I would say we get pretty good participation. But we usually hang up a lot of posters around the hallways, and then we either make a TikTok or an Instagram reel promoting it, which helps,” Sam revealed.
Grand Ledge has and will continue to aid others, even if that means contributing their own blood.
