By: Cecilia Della Villa

Hero [heer-oh] n: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. “Be a Hero, Save a Life, Donate Blood” was the theme for this years DECA annual blood drive. A hero doesn’t necessarily mean someone wearing a cape; it could be anyone willing to donate an hour of their day to save up to three lives. Did you know that the New Jersey Blood Center needs close to 2,000 people a day to donate in order to have an adequate blood supply? Well, Spotswood High School is helping NJBC reach that goal. On November 20^th, 215 people donated at our annual blood drive. Just Spotswood alone gathered over 10% of the 2,000 people that are needed daily. Altogether, 274 people registered and this year only 59 were deferred. The fun and inviting atmosphere, friendly staff members, and delicious canteen, donated from local bakeries and bagel shops, all contributed to make DECA’s blood drive yet another success. We would like to give a special thanks to Bagel Bazaar for donating 12 dozen bagels to our cause! Ms. Manfre, Mrs. Malec, Mrs. Cohen, all DECA members, and the New Jersey Blood Center would like to thank everybody for coming out and donating. Together we saved about 1,935 lives and that makes all of us heroes!