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December 15, 2017When Olivia Vidmar ‘16 was a sophomore at VASJ, she got involved in the Red Cross Blood Drive.
“Mostly due to the positive and motivating efforts of Mrs. Grai,” says Olivia’s mother, Christy. “Melissa instilled in both her and Billy ('17) a passion to give blood and made this a habit for them. Even after graduating, they both sought out blood drives and gave. What Melissa taught them was this effort could be lifesaving and it caught on.”
As a result of what she learned at VASJ, Olivia has decided to host a blood drive in her hometown of Euclid while she is home for Christmas break from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Her decision was based on her inspiration from Mrs. Grai.
“She not only organized VASJ's blood drives, she made them something to look forward to,” Olivia says.
She especially enjoyed the bonding experience that the students and teachers had through the blood drive, from the pre-donation nervousness to the post-donation snacks and everything in between.
Donating blood has also had a direct impact on Olivia as her Grandmother has been battling lymphoma.
“Every time I donate, I think of her,” Olivia says.
Olivia is looking forward to using the leadership skills that she learned at VASJ by working with the Red Cross to host the December 22 blood drive from 1-7 p.m. at the Shore Cultural Center.
“I will always be thankful to VASJ for teaching me to live a life of service and a life of love for God and for others,” Olivia says.
Click here to register to give blood at the drive.
Michael Doss is a senior at VASJ. In addition to being a member of PR Club, Michael is also involved in Robotics, Academic Challenge, and Virtus. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, playing harmonica, and listening to podcasts. After graduation, Michael plans to attend CSU and major in Mechanical Engineering.