East Peoria high school student wins American Red Cross scholarship

EAST PEORIA, Ill (Sept. 15, 2020) — Liezel Lindo of East Peoria helped save lives by hosting an American Red Cross blood drive this summer and earned a $1,500 scholarship as a result of her lifesaving efforts.

As part of the Red Cross Leaders Save Lives program, Lindo hosted the 14th Rock ‘N Roll Up Your Sleeve Blood Drive at Stoney Creek Inn on July 15. The blood drive was successful, bringing in 83 pints of blood, thanks to generous volunteer blood donors. As a result, Lindo was entered to win a college scholarship and was chosen as a winner. She was also awarded a gift card.

Lindo, a senior at East Peoria High School, anticipates graduating in May 2021 and looks forward to pursuing a higher education after graduation. After learning about the Leaders Save Lives program, Lindo thought participating would be a great way to give back to the community. When Lindo’s mother was diagnosed with cancer and required blood transfusions, she learned firsthand how important blood products are to patients in need.    

Lindo has positive energy and attributes learning valuable life lessons from her blood drive experience. When asked about her experience she replied, “Hosting a blood drive is always a great reminder that there are good people in the world. From the staff, the phlebotomists, and the donors themselves, hosting a blood drive was a great way for me to meet some amazing people that think about others. I’ve also developed better communication skills because of the blood drive.”

East Peoria Community High School is a huge supporter of the Americand Red Cross. This is the 14th year that the school has sponsored the Rock N Roll Summer Blood Drive which helps to maintain a robust blood supply in the area during the summer months. The school has produced some excellent student Blood Program Leaders who have gone to host drives as they continue their higher education. Liezel is one of those excellent students who is extremely deserving of this scholarship.

Registration is now available for the Winter 2020 program, which will award scholarships to 10 student participants. More information is available at RedCrossBlood.org/leaderssavelives.

Important COVID-19 information for donors 

The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Red Cross antibody tests will be helpful to identify individuals who have COVID-19 antibodies and may qualify to be convalescent plasma donors. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation collected from COVID-19 survivors that have antibodies that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus. Donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or the donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.  

The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation. 

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance.