Organizers of Palo Alto High School’s American Red Cross Club’s blood drive, taking place this Thursday in the Library Resource Center, are suggesting donors schedule visits to the Stanford Blood Center after slots at the Paly event filled up ahead of schedule.

According to club president senior Celia Willner, there are not enough Red Cross volunteers to accommodate all of the students that want to donate blood.

“The American Red Cross Foundation only needed 35 units of blood, which is equal to approximately 50 student blood donations,” Willner said. “Unfortunately, that means that a lot of students interested in donating their blood will not get a chance to do so.”

Senior Avanika Narayan expressed frustration at not being able to donate blood.

“I was really disappointed when I found out that there were no more slots open for Thursday’s blood drive because I’ve always wanted to donate blood,” Narayan said. “I decided to make an appointment at the Stanford Blood Center to donate blood, and I encourage any other interested students to do the same.”

Junior Annie Zhou, one of the few students who managed to secure a donation slot, looks forward to making her first blood donation.

“I signed up to donate blood because it is an easy way to help people in need,” Zhou said. “I would like to think that a little pain on my end can end up saving someone else’s life.”

Willner hopes to hold more blood drives in the future.

“Knowing now just how many students are interested in participating in the blood drive, the Red Cross Club hopes to host another blood drive this Spring to give more students a chance to donate their blood,” Wilner said.

According to Willner, students that signed up to donate blood should look at the American Red Cross Foundation’s website for tips on how to make a successful donation.

For more information on donating blood call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit Red Cross’ website.