“Real Men Bleed” – FMS Sponsors Blood Drive

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Cadets at Fishburne Military School are sending off some gifts that others will truly be thankful to receive.

Fishburne’s M. Frank Wooten chapter of the National Honor Society hosted a fall blood drive today, Wednesday 14 November, from 9am until 2pm. The blood drive, which took place in Fishburne’s Hobby-Hudgins Hall, was in support of Virginia Blood Services.

Twice a year, Cadets transform areas of the school’s library into a collection center for the VBS effort.

“The Cadets were fantastic,” noted Mrs. Leslie Ingersoll, faculty advisor to the Honor Society,“everyone wanted to come out and give. We couldn’t be happier with the results.”  Although all Cadets may have been eager to support VBS, age restrictions and other factors such as recent travel or scheduled athletic events prevented some from giving. Overall, 42 Cadets came together to donate and the school collected more than 50 total units for this drive.

Sporting T-shirts from VBS advising “Keep Calm and Carry On Saving Lives”, Cadets proudly showed off their fresh bandages and were eager to discuss their donations.

Broadly smiling, Cadet Brandon Olszewski, a Senior from Cape May Courthouse, NJ, noted “It was an amazing feeling knowing that I was saving lives.” He summed up the point with another grin saying, “Real men bleed.”

“This is a great way for us to support the community,” said Fishburne’s Superintendent Col Gary R. Morrison (VA), “and it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to help educate our young men about civic responsibilities and duties. It’s really a winning combination for everyone.”

Fishburne’s Honor Society regularly holds blood drives to help meet the need for area donors. During particularly critical shortages, the Honor Society has organized and held emergency drives in order to fill immediate needs. In December 2008, during just such a crisis, Fishburne Cadets, faculty and staff donated 45 pints of much needed blood in just five hours. A similar crisis in 2006 saw several pints of blood collected at FMS used that very day in operations for two individuals involved in a serious auto accident.

Fishburne’s next blood drive is already scheduled for March 21, 2013.