In accordance with their Catholic beliefs and dedication to community service, Pace High School students have always gone above and beyond to help those in need. No where is this more evident than its quarterly student-run blood drives held at the school.
Pace student volunteers from the Leadership team run each blood drive in conjunction with the One Blood organization which provides the buses and necessary materials for donations. The drives were so successful that, at one point, three buses were taking donations at capacity. Their contributions help not just those patients who suffer traumatic injuries, but also those who suffer from chronic diseases and conditions such as cancers, leukemia, and blood disorders.
Dr. Robert De Valle, a Pace parent, husband to Pace alumna Christine Maseo, and Miami Lakes resident, volunteers to supervise each drive. Even after years of helping out, Del Valle is still blown away by the dedication, good will, and charity of the student volunteers and blood donors.
“One student related it to Jesus giving himself up to save others,” said Del Valle. “It was her way to be more like Christ.”
Every unit of blood helps three patients in need, according to Del Valle, and given the short shelf-life of blood products, a constant flow of donations is important. In total, Pace High School students and faculty donated 134 pints of blood during the 2014-2015 school year. In addition to all of the community contributions, the 2014-2015 blood drives have amassed around $15,000 in scholarship funds for Pace students.