Fresno EOC School of Unlimited Learning hosts first blood drive

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno EOC School of Unlimited Learning assemblage rolled up their sleeves connected Wednesday to donate humor today.

It's portion of their Black History Month celebration.

Students learned that an African American doc developed large-scale humor banks during World War two, which sparked the thought for the humor drive.

It's the school's first-ever Dr. Charles H. Drew Community Blood Drive.

"We decided this twelvemonth that we would ore connected thing that would service the community," said Susan Lopez, the EOC SOUL principal.

Every twelvemonth during Black History Month, the schoolhouse celebrates with a meaningful event. But this clip around, they wanted to deliberation extracurricular the box.

"A coworker of excavation said she thought it would beryllium a bully thought if we had a humor drive," said Courtney Griffin, lawsuit organizer. "The thought being that Dr. Charles H. Drew, an African American doctor, was the idiosyncratic that really invented the humor bank."

"It not lone ties successful with giving the kids immoderate past and showing them they tin person pridefulness successful their culture," said Lopez. "But that we besides service the EOC ngo arsenic well."

For some, similar Aaliyah Galvan, Wednesday was her archetypal clip donating blood. Galvan is portion of the school's Interact Club.

While she felt tense astir donating, she truly wanted to springiness backmost to her community.

"It's a elemental happening that you tin bash that tin truly assistance somebody," said Galvan.

Students besides got a accidental to perceive to 2 keynote speakers. Lopez told Action News their unit and students travel from antithetic backgrounds and each walks of life.

School leaders said it's important for students to not lone get progressive but recognize the bequest of Black History Month.

"It's important that our students get to recognize the contributions that antithetic radical person made, and they tin beryllium inspired by that benignant of thing," said Griffin.

This year, SOUL is celebrating 25 years. School leaders anticipation that with this humor drive, they amusement their students that they tin marque an interaction successful their community.

"When their eyes are opened to the contributions to the radical earlier them, hopefully, it inspires them," said Griffin. "It gives the information and that they tin bash things that aboriginal generations tin look backmost connected and beryllium arrogant of."

"Fresno is simply a beauteous town," said Gregory Vega, a pupil astatine SOUL. "I deliberation the astir important happening we request close present is to conscionable beryllium unneurotic and to assistance each different out."

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