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Schools

Local Yeshiva Reaches Out to Community Through Planned Blood Drive

Event to be held at Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School in March

AllChesed.com, a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities, is partnering with to run a community-wide blood drive and bone-marrow drive from 12:45 to 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, March 4.

In past years, Ma'ayanot has conducted blood drives that ran only during the school day. The desire to include more people from the community and provide another way in which people can donate sparked the changes in format, said students involved in the school’s community service committee, which is working with AllChesed.com founder Ariella Steinreich to plan the drives.

Steinreich became involved in community service as a student at Ma’ayanot and is excited to partner with them on this program.

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"The school emphasizes to its students the importance in being an active community member, and I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with the school who helped instill these values in me and my peers," Steinreich said. 

The student committee is comprised of seven students ranging from 10th to 12th grade. Junior Daniella Steinreich, sister of Ariella, said a desire to give back to the community spurred her interest in joining the committee.

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“I’m really excited, and I hope that we can collect enough blood to save lives," she said. "Ideally, it would be great if we could find a bone-marrow match for those in need."

Junior Tali Spier said Ma’ayanot offers a convenient place in which individuals and families can stop by to donate.

“I’ve read about young children who’ve needed bone-marrow transplants or blood donations, and I think that these drives offer a great way to get more people to help and be involved,” she said.

And Ma’ayanot senior Lizzy Klein hopes to see a good turnout.

“I think this event is very special because people get really excited about donating blood and helping others,” she said. “Because this event will be on a Sunday, it becomes more of a community event instead of just a school event.”

Those interested in signing up for specific times in which to donate blood can visit http://tinyurl.com/7xsztxq. Walk-ins also are welcome.

The bone-marrow drive involves a quick swab of the inside of a participant's mouth, so no sign up is required. Gift of Life is the organization involved with collecting samples.

There are height-weight requirements in order to give blood, and those participating in the bone-marrow drive must be at least 18 years old. For more information, see the attached flyer or contact SteinreichA@maayanot.org.

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