Career Center Students Save Lives with Record-Breaking Blood Drive
The New Castle Career Center (NCCC) recently hosted its annual fall blood drive, and students rose to the challenge of helping save lives and setting new records along the way.
Students from the Health Science Education Program took the lead, welcoming donors, assisting with the donation process, and helping in the recovery area with refreshments and care. But this initiative wasn’t just the work of one program. Across all NCCC programs, students came together to roll up their sleeves and donate blood.
This tradition has been part of the NCCC community for 20 years, according to Health Science Education Instructor Angie Talbott, RN. “We haven’t always done two drives a year, but we started about 10 years ago to help meet the demand, as there is almost always a shortage,” Talbott shared. “By sponsoring a blood drive twice a year, it gives students more opportunities to give back and opens them up to becoming 'Leaders for Life.'”
This year’s blood drive was a huge success, with the most units collected since 2017. Overall, the drive collected 97 blood products, which could impact up to 207 local lives. Donations included:
Registered Donors: 94
First-Time Donors: 59
Goal: 76
Whole Blood Collected: 55 units
Double Red Cells Collected: 21 donors (42 products)
For students, the event was about more than just numbers. They learned the importance of volunteering and how the simple, selfless act of donating blood can save up to three lives.
"I am beyond excited and proud of our students and staff at NCCC for stepping up and achieving what they did at this blood drive,” Talbott said. “We almost doubled the number of units from previous drives.”
Versiti Blood Center of Indiana, a nonprofit leader in blood health solutions, assists with blood drive collections and services. Due to this incredible turnout, Versiti will add staff for our next drive, helping NCCC Health Science Education students reach their next goal - 100 units.
The next blood drive is scheduled for February 10, 2026, and NCCC is already looking forward to building on this success.
Learn more about the Health Science Education program and the programs available through the New Castle Career Center by visiting nccareercenter.org.