By Alana Mauger

Ava Conley of Harleysville helped save lives by hosting an American Red Cross blood drive and earned a $2,500 scholarship as a result of her lifesaving efforts.

As part of the Red Cross Leaders Save Lives program, Ava was eligible to be entered into a drawing for a scholarship and was chosen as a winner. She also received a gift card.

The Penn State University freshman stepped up to be the blood program leader for Peter Powerhouse Foundation blood drives in March 2024. Her Leaders Save Lives qualifying drive, which collected 119 units of blood, took place on July 9 at Towamencin Mennonite Church in Kulpsville.

Ava was inspired to become a blood program leader by her brother Logan, who received blood transfusions while undergoing chemotherapy.

“I wanted to help others feel better with receiving blood, as my brother did,” she said. “It felt good knowing we collected so much blood, which will help so many people.”

She encourages other students to give it a try.

“It’s fun to organize, you get closer to people in your community and are helping people in need of blood,” she said.

Ava is grateful for the scholarship opportunity and plans to put the money toward her next college tuition bill.

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.