Senators and juniors Shanmukha Polu and Advik Chaudhary check in donors for the fall blood drive on Sept. 4. Chaudhary said the experience was incredibly positive and he looks forward to future Senate events.

For years, CHS Senate has partnered with Versiti Blood Center of Indiana for their biannual blood drive. The tradition continued on Sept. 4 with the fall blood drive. Three-year senator and junior Advik Chaudhary said the event has consistently had a favorable result within the community.

“I’ve loved being involved with the blood drive because it’s such a direct way to make a positive impact,” Chaudhary said. “As part of Senate, I helped with organizing and spreading awareness during lunches and SRT, and it was truly incredible to see students’ commitment to helping the lives of others.”

Student body president Kaitlyn Ho said Senate’s partnership with Versiti has been fruitful.

“This year, I did a lot of work coordinating with Versiti Blood Center,” Ho said. “I’ve helped plan our blood drives for the past three years, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the Versiti workers.”

This collaboration resulted in 166 units of blood donated, with all the blood going to local hospitals.

“This year, over 200 people signed up and we donated more than 150 units of blood throughout the school day,” Chaudhary said. “I think events like this really highlight how our school community can come together for something bigger than ourselves.”

The CHS Senate hopes to deepen the impact of future blood drives.

“It’s inspiring to see how Senate’s work can have such a huge impact right here in Carmel,” Ho said. “For our spring blood drive, we hope to achieve even more sign ups to help more local hospitals.” By Aidah Brown