On Wednesday, Gann partnered with The American Red Cross to host a blood donation drive on campus. The school’s first event was a great success, with more than 40 students, faculty, and community members stepping forward to donate.
“Gann Gives Blood” is a student club founded and led by Zoe Rabinovitch ’27 and Lilah Gaffin ’27, whose initiative made the event possible. The inspiration for the club came after Zoe completed an internship with The Red Cross in Dedham, MA over the summer. While volunteering at the non-profit, she became familiar with their mobile app that allows donors to manage their registration, book appointments, and even create and join teams to track their collective impact. She also learned that organizations can host a blood drive and the idea came to her – why not create one here at the school? The “Gann Gives Blood” team was the result and the student club regularly promotes blood donation and educates the community.
At a time when the national blood supply is facing a severe shortage, every donation matters — and this student-led drive contributed directly to meeting a critical and urgent need. Each unit of blood donated has the potential to save up to three lives.
For everyone involved, the experience was a powerful reminder that small actions can have a real and lasting impact. We are especially proud of Zoe and Lilah for leading our community in this profound act of chesed (loving kindness) and pikuach nefesh (saving a life), values that sit at the very heart of Jewish life.
