On Thursday, August 22, the Melissa High School Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Organization received a generous donation of $1000 from Carter BloodCare in recognition of the organization's outstanding achievements in organizing last year's MHS Blood Drives. Carter BloodCare representative Susan Holt presented the check to Hallie Venner, the CTE & Health Coordinator, and Layan Alwazzan, the 2024-25 MHS HOSA President.
Throughout the past year, the MHS HOSA Organization successfully partnered with Carter BloodCare to host three blood drives—two at the high school and one within the community. Thanks to the great dedication and hard work of the HOSA Organization students, Melissa High School exceeded the donation goals set for these drives, which led to the generous donation from Carter BloodCare.
Carter BloodCare provided leadership training and gave HOSA students the opportunity to participate in various roles, including scheduling donors, checking donors in and out, managing the snack table, and offering support as needed.
Carter BloodCare is a nonprofit organization that supplies life-saving blood and transfusion services to hospitals and patients across Texas. They frequently collaborate with high school HOSA clubs, like the one at MHS, to organize blood drives. These partnerships help maintain local blood supplies while providing students with valuable hands-on experience in healthcare.