When two bloodmobiles appear at the high school March 13, Northwestern Lehigh Key Club members would like the community to come out in record numbers to give the gift of life.

"If you're on the fence about donating blood, all you have to do is realize one pint of blood can save many children's lives," said club President Jay Hereba.

"The Lehigh Valley is at an all-time low for blood donations [because of] all the snow events we've been having and all the car accidents in the area due to snow," Sarah Malay added.

Jake Najarian, one of the coordinators of the blood drive, said the goal is to break the record set last spring.

"The winter is typically a hard time to collect but this year this was especially so since the weather was so terrible," Najarian said.

Miller-Keystone will be collecting the donations.

"Usually two phlebotomists on the bus actually take your blood," Malay said. "Our blood drive is actually fought for among the phlebotomists. There's a steady flow of people."

Najarian said takes only about a half-hour to 40 minutes to donate.

"Adults usually come after work," he added.

Miller-Keystone has set up a link online, donor.giveapint.org, Malay said.

"You register there and set up your appointment. Then you just have to show up at the gym lobby for your appointment," she noted.

Hereba said he would like the turnout to be great.

"We would like to be the first school to win the Miller-Keystone Spirit Award again," Hereba said. "It's a traveling award given to the school with the most donations. We won it last year and we hope to do the same thing this year."

Members of Key Club have been working diligently to plan for this event.

"There are actually three of us who take care of student volunteers and donations of food from local businesses like Bagel Bunch, Paese Mio, Pretzel Factory, DeMarco's, Slice of Italy and Subway," Malay said. "We also set up all the appointment times during the day for students to donate blood."

Malay said at least 50 percent of the seniors donated last time.

"If you donate four times before you graduate, you get a red cord to wear at graduation," she explained. That's a new program Miller-Keystone started."

Key Club Vice President Maddie Bachman discussed the importance of donating.

"Since you don't know who your blood goes to, it means even more," she said. "You can save someone's life."

According to Hereba, students need to be 17 to donate blood.

"Miller does a series of blood tests right before you donate and you need parent permission. That's a school rule."

The blood drive is a community event.

Club adviser is Bob Biese, a math teacher who became Key Club adviser after Susan Barnett retired.

"We opened it up to the public two years ago for the first time," he said. "We wanted to reach out and have the community be involved.

"We've had a tremendous response to that. Our blood drives have grown faster than any other high school."

In addition to sponsoring the blood drive, Key Club is active in a number of other ways.

"The blood drive takes the most work and the most coordination, but we also work with Miracle League, Special Olympics, Allentown Boy's and Girls Club and the Leukemia Lymphoma society," Biese said.

Biese can't be happier with the members of his organization.

"They're fantastic," he said. "I kind of guide them in a direction but they pick what they're passionate about though the blood drive is our cornerstone event."

Students care deeply about the work they are able to accomplish through Key Club.

"I started in my freshman year," said Mariana Valencia, also a coordinator of the blood drive. "This is the club I'm most involved in [because] we actually get stuff done. This is the one that has the most direct impact on the community."

Community service is at the heart of the organization.

"My father has always advocated donating blood because his father and his brother both needed transfusions very often," Najarian said.

Donations are accepted 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"Donors can walk in and are always welcome," Biese said. "We [also] welcome monetary donations, which we would turn over to Miller-Keystone."