By Alana Mauger

Ava Conley of Harleysville and Paige Wireman of Dublin helped save lives by hosting American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania blood drives during summer 2024 and earned scholarships as a result of their lifesaving efforts.

As part of the Red Cross Leaders Save Lives program, Ava and Paige were eligible to be entered into a drawing for a scholsrship and were chosen as winners. They also each received a gift card.

Souderton Area High School senior Ava Conley is the blood program leader for Peter Powerhouse Foundation blood drives. Her qualifying blood drive, which collected 112 units of blood, was held on Aug. 21 at Towamencin Mennonite Church in Kulpsville. Ava received a $2,500 scholarship.

Ava stepped up to coordinate the monthly Peter Powerhouse blood drives in March 2024. She was drawn to the volunteer opportunity because her brother Logan received blood transfusions while undergoing chemotherapy.

“I wanted to be able to collect blood to help those like my brother that needed it,” she said. “I am very grateful for my scholarship and for the opportunity to give back to the community.”

Paige Wireman is working her way toward certification with the American Academy of Professional Coders. She coordinated a blood drive at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Harleysville in memory of her grandmother Lucille Freed on July 23. The drive collected 37 units of blood. Paige received a $1,000 scholarship.

Already a Red Cross volunteer, Paige was looking for another way to help others. She needed blood herself as a baby and thought that a blood drive at her grandparent’s church was a meaningful way to keep her grandmother’s memory alive.

“Just knowing you are able to help save people’s lives and giving the gift of life through blood donation is an amazing experience,” she said. Paige was “totally surprised” by the scholarship. “It couldn’t have come in at a better time to help pay for my continuing education.”

The Leaders Save Lives program encourages community-minded high school and college students to host blood drives to help maintain the blood supply for patients in need of lifesaving transfusions.

Students can sign up to host Leaders Save Lives blood drives during seasonal timeframes throughout the year. For more information, visit RedCrossBlood.org/LeadersSaveLives.