Students at Oakdale have created a club that works to spread awareness of the Red Cross Organization.

The American Red Cross Association was founded in 1881 and is a worldwide voluntary organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and awareness for these disasters.

The Red Cross Club is an extension of the local Red Cross program. Students at Oakdale High School have the opportunity to address their communities’ needs and develop leadership skills through the Red Cross Club at their school. Although students can’t personally go out to provide their support, they help the Red Cross through funding to aid those in need. The club advisor is English teacher Jennifer Cole and the President is Senior Erica Garagiola.

Students have the opportunity to assist people in a disaster by fundraising money to support the Red Cross and all of their activities. Vice President and Junior Emma Melton explained that the clubs biggest projects are the blood drives: “We coordinate with the Red Cross in getting dates secured on when we can hold a blood drive, and then we help by giving snacks to those who donated blood and by walking them back to class.” This is a yearly project that saves many lives.

The blood drives are beneficial to participate in because they are another way to serve the community. They remind the people that giving blood is important and could save someone’s life.

The club is open to new ideas and are always looking for better ways to serve those in need. Another project is the making of Veterans Day cards to send and distribute to veterans. This project is organized by the veterans committee leader Junior Mikala Perry. She explains that the purpose of the cards are “to thank and show support to veterans for their service.” These cards were made by multiple students and were sent out on Veterans Day.

The Red Cross club helps the Red Cross in many different aspects and is always looking for members. If you are interested in helping your community, find a QR code around the school to sign up.