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High School Blood Drive Information

Hosting a Blood Drive at Your High School

Parental Consent Forms

Those under 18 must have a signed parental consent form.

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Spanish
Teens holding a sign "Donate Blood"

Hosting a Blood Drive at Your High School

Parental Consent Forms

Those under 18 must have a signed parental consent form.

English
Spanish
Teens holding a sign "Donate Blood"

Breakfast Program

We provide free breakfast to high schools. While this isn’t a requirement to host a blood drive at your school, we want our young adult blood donors to have a great experience. A good morning meal and proper hydration help to ensure a successful donation experience and provide valuable nutrients to anyone who has just donated life-saving blood. 

Community Blood Bank has partnered with high schools around the region to help encourage student blood donors to eat a good breakfast prior to their donation (provided by the school’s Food Services and purchased by Community Blood Bank on behalf of Sanford Medical Center and Avera McKennan Hospital). 

Note: Providing breakfast for student blood donors is not a requirement to host a blood drive at your school.

Please contact the Program Coordinator at Community Blood Bank to help you with ways to identify those students who will be receiving the free breakfast. You may choose to have students wear a special blood drive sticker, provide a special form with the student’s name on it, or provide a blood drive schedule to the food services staff.
If your school does not offer a full service breakfast, Community Blood Bank will pay for breakfast items up to $3.25 per student donor. We can also provide a gift card to purchase breakfast items, or student groups can make breakfast at the school. (Community Blood Bank will reimburse the group for the cost of the meal.)

Send an invoice for the amount due to:
Community Blood Bank
Attn: Ken Versteeg, Executive Director
PO Box 1343
Sioux Falls, SD 57101
Encourage a parent group, student organization or local business to host a breakfast for those student blood donors the morning of the drive. If this is not an option, contact Community Blood Bank for potential solutions.

Red Cord / Tassel Program

Every year, we recognize graduating high school seniors for the blood donations they have provided during their high school career.

Students who attempt or donate blood at least three (3) times will receive a special blood donor tassel they can wear on the day of graduation, acknowledging their dedication and commitment to supporting the local blood supply.

Students who donate will be automatically enrolled for this opportunity.

After your school’s last blood drive, the blood drive coordinator at your school should contact the Community Blood Bank for a list of the names of donors who’ve met requirements. After reviewing the list for graduates, the coordinator should let us know how many tassels are needed. We will send them to the blood drive coordinator for distribution. For additional information regarding donor eligibility or other questions, call 605-331-3222.
  • Alcester-Hudson High School — Alcester, SD
  • Baltic High School — Baltic, SD
  • Beresford High School — Beresford, SD
  • Brandon Valley High School — Brandon, SD
  • Brookings High School — Brookings, SD
  • Canistota High School — Canistota, SD
  • Canton High School — Canton, SD
  • Career & Technical Academy — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Central Lyon High School — Rock Rapids, IA
  • Chamberlain High School — Chamberlain, SD
  • Chester High School — Chester, SD
  • Colman-Egan High School — Colman, SD
  • Dell Rapids High School — Dell Rapids, SD
  • Elkton High School — Elkton, SD
  • Estherville Lincoln Central High School —Estherville, IA
  • Flandreau High School — Flandreau, SD
  • Garretson High School — Garreston, SD
  • Hamlin High School — Hayti, SD
  • Harrisburg High School — Harrisburg, SD
  • Hills-Beaver Creek High School — Hills, MN
  • Jefferson High School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Lennox High School — Lennox, SD
  • Lincoln High School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Luverne High School — Luverne, MN
  • Madison High School — Madison, SD
  • Murray County Central High School — Slayton, MN
  • Netherlands Reformed Christian School — Rock Valley, IA
  • O’Gorman High School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Parker High School — Parker, SD
  • Pipestone High School — Pipestone, MN
  • Rock Valley High School — Rock Valley, IA
  • Roosevelt High School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High School — Tyler, MN
  • Sheldon High School — Sheldon, IA
  • Sibley-Ocheyedan High School — Sibley, IA
  • Sioux Falls Christian School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Sioux Falls Lutheran School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • St. Joseph Indian School — Chamberlain, SD
  • Tea High School — Tea, SD
  • Tracy High School — Tracy, MN
  • Tri-Valley High School — Colton, SD
  • Vermillion High School — Vermillion, SD
  • Viborg-Hurley High School — Viborg, SD
  • Washington High School — Sioux Falls, SD
  • Watertown High School — Watertown, SD
  • West Central High School — Hartford, SD
  • West Lyon High School — Inwood, IA
  • Windom High School — Windom, MN
  • Worthington High School — Worthington, MN

Community Blood Bank, through the support of Avera and Sanford Health, would like to offer a $250 donation to the after prom party at your school. It is our wish to have each student — whether able to donate or not — to benefit from this gift and to help celebrate the students’ accomplishments at the end of the school year.

To receive the donation, please send a request email to email to Kenneth.Versteeg@avera.org or send a request letter to:
Ken Versteeg, Executive Director
Community Blood Bank
PO Box 1343
Sioux Falls, SD 57101

Athletics and Donating

Our local high school athletes are always welcome to donate blood. If you are an athlete and want to donate, please keep these things to keep in mind.

  • Know donating may affect your athletic performance. For more endurance-based sports, such as track or cross country, it is possible blood donation may affect your performance for up to a month after donating. For other sports, it may only be a couple of weeks.
  • Communicate with your in making your decision about donating. It’s recommended not to donate blood the same day as a competition.
  • Drink plenty of fluids before and after donating. You should drink eight (8) glasses of water, sports drinks, or other hydrating fluids. Please do not drink an energy drink or coffee before donating, as it could raise your pulse too much and prevent you from being able to donate.
  • Eat well before and after donating. Eating iron-rich foods will be beneficial after donating, since some of your iron is removed during donation. See the best foods to replenish your iron.
  • Avoid heavy lifting after donating. This includes workouts with weights. If you do need to attend a practice the same day as donating, communicate with your coach, drink plenty of hydrating fluids and remember not to push yourself too much.