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Five seniors named
CBC/Vectren 'Lead the Way' scholars
DAYTON, Ohio - Five area high school seniors have earned $1,000
scholarships for their creative approach to encouraging classmates to
donate blood in the annual Community Blood Center/Vectren Lead The Way
Creative Scholarship competition.
The 2015 Lead The Way Scholarship winners represented high schools in
Montgomery, Shelby, and Darke County. The five seniors awarded
$1,000 for college tuition assistance are: Marcus Jordan from
Trotwood-Madison High School; Ashley Keller from Lehman Catholic High
School in Sidney; Kyle Szwajkos from Christian Academy Schools in
Sidney; Eric Wathen from Miami Valley Career Technology Center in
Englewood; and Hannah Wenig from Versailles High School.
Applicants were challenged to create a campaign theme for a high school
blood drive. The scholarship winners found inspiration in
favorite games or movies, challenges at school, and national news
headlines. They expressed their ideas in clever campaign slogans,
and designed t-shirts, brochures, posters or a video as recruitment
tools.
Marcus Jordan (Trotwood-Madison High School) - “All Lives Matter – Give
Blood”
The theme “All Lives Matter – Give Blood” by Marcus Jordan demonstrated
his awareness of the national debates on racial equality and lifestyle
tolerance by using blood as a strong symbol of unity. The
original art work for his t-shirt combined a male and female figure
with an upside down heart symbolizing a blood drop. He wore the t-shirt
when he donated for the first time at his high school.
“My idea will inspire my classmates, friends and family because it
gives a universal message that everyone will understand,” he
said. “I want people to understand that everyone deserves a
chance to live no matter of their circumstances, ethnicity, or
religious beliefs. If you truly in your heart care about the well-being
of others you will donate blood to help them. That’s what giving blood
is all about.”
Marcus plans to study dentistry at Northern Kentucky University and to
someday open his own dental practice.
Ashley Keller (Lehman Catholic High School) - “Be a Stud Donate Blood”
Lehman Catholic senior Ashley Keller lives in Piqua. She
illustrated her theme “Be a Stud Donate Blood” with a t-shirt design
featuring a cartoon blood drop with muscular biceps. She
considers it a fun theme with a serious message.
“High school students feel they are strong and can accomplish
anything,” she said. “My slogan signifies the courage and strength it
takes to be a blood donor. At Lehman Catholic we are taught that
our faith is strong enough to overcome anything and as a blood donor
students can feel empowered by their donation, knowing it will save a
life.”
Ashley plans to major in early childhood education at Bluffton
University and would like to become an elementary school teacher.
Kyle Szwajkos (Christian Academy Schools) – “Raise Your GPA – Gifted
Pint Average”
Kyle Szwajkos lives in Piqua and attends Christian Academy Schools in
Englewood. His blood drive campaign focused on recruitment for both the
school blood drive and the CBC Red Cord Honor Program Campaign.
Students can earn a Red Cord by registering to donate three times in
their high school careers.
“My campaign slogan, “Raise Your GPA,” changes grade point average to
Gifted Pint Average,” he said. Kyle’s poster and brochure artwork
featured three blood drop characters. “This number is the amount
of pints of blood the student has donated. The campaign
encourages high school students to earn a CBC GPA of 3.0 to earn a Red
cord for graduation and to show their dedication to saving lives. The
Gifted Pint Average is as important as an academic GPA.”
Kyle plans to attend Bowling Green University to pursue a degree in
psychology. He would like to specialize in treating emergency workers
who respond to traumatic events.
Eric Wathen (Miami Valley CTC) – “It’s a Small World: Saving Someone’s
World, One Donation at a Time”
Eric Wathen lives in Miamisburg and attends Miami Valley CTC. He
borrowed Disney’s “It’s a Small World” and added “Saving Someone’s
World, One Donation at a Time.” His poster and t-shirt design
featured the earth inside a blood drop. He was the only winner
who also created a video. It features a pulsing sound track with
areal images, along with blood donation facts and blood drive
preparation tips.
“Using the theme of “It’s a Small World” brings the needs of others
into perspective,” he said. “Another aspect of the marketing plan would
be creating a bulletin board on which students are encouraged to share
the names of people they know who needed blood. The names would
be written on a picture of the earth. During the blood drive,
students would use a globe stress ball to squeeze, write their name on
a pledge banner, and get a shirt with the small world graphic.”
“By creating the ‘small world’ attitude, each blood donation becomes
more personal,” he said. “It may be your friend, family member, or
classmate who needs your blood.”
Eric plans to study sports management at Wilmington College and would
like to work in marketing and community relations for a minor league
baseball team.
Hannah Wenig (Versailles High School) - “Get Out of Class Free – This
card may be kept until needed to donate blood”
Versailles High School senior Hannah Wenig was inspired by the popular
board game “Monopoly” to create a clever “get out of jail card” theme
for blood drive posters and hall passes “Motivating students to give
blood at their high school blood drive can sometimes be a tricky task,”
she said. “A clever, student-focused campaign slogan is needed to
grab a young person’s attention.”
“I took the idea of the ‘get out of jail free’ card and altered it into
a card that gets students ‘out of class’ for free instead,” she
said. Even if a student only participates to get out of class,
the purpose is reached as up to three lives may be saved in the
process. It is important to know the impact blood contribution
has on society, and this knowledge may spur students to continue
donating in the future.”
Hannah said she wants to study nursing at Indiana Wesleyan University
in Marion, Indiana “because of my compassion for others. I am
interested in neonatal nursing and would love to work with babies.”
2015 Lead The Way scholarship applicant videos and samples of winning
artwork will be available at:
www.GivingBlood.org/giving-back/reward. The Lead The Way Creative
Scholarship for High School Seniors is made possible by a $5,000 grant
from Vectren. It is open to all graduating, college-bound seniors
in CBC’s 15-county region whose high school hosts a CBC blood drive.
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