New Trier High School’s Medical Outreach Club is helping organize and promote community blood drives at the Northfield campus, joining a school partnership with the American Red Cross that began during the pandemic.
The school's Medical Outreach Club partnered with the American Red Cross for the first time this school year to help organize and promote the drives, the New Trier News reported Oct. 24. The first drive of the 2026-2027 year took place Sept. 21, with another on Oct. 12.
The student newspaper reported the next drives are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Oct. 30 at the Northfield campus. However, the Red Cross online booking page for New Trier does not list those dates. The next drive appearing on the Red Cross site is Wednesday, Nov. 25. Residents interested in donating on Oct. 29 or 30 should check with the school or the Red Cross to confirm availability.
The partnership dates to the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. When businesses and schools shut down, the Red Cross needed safe sites to collect blood. New Trier's spacious Northfield campus offered room for donors to stay distanced, according to the school's website. The school has hosted monthly drives ever since.
The New Trier News reported the drives draw donors from Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Kenilworth and Northfield. Club historian and senior Zoya Boghani told the newspaper that hosting at a high school gives parents, students and older neighborhood residents an easy way to donate.
Avni Arora, a senior and co-head of the Medical Outreach Club, told the New Trier News the club is pushing to fill donor slots through posters and announcements. "Donating blood can seem scary at first, but the impact it has is incredible," Arora said. "It can change someone's life completely …"
Students who are not ready to donate can still help. Club secretary and senior Isabella Conrad told the newspaper that volunteers assist with setup and logistics but do not draw blood.
The New Trier News described the Oct. 12 drive as held in the Northfield gym, while the school's website directs donors to the cafeteria at 7 Happ Road. Drives generally run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donors should park in the south lot and enter through the courtyard gate. The school's website directs donors to sign up through the Red Cross booking page.
