Woodlands Academy to host memorial blood drive

LAKE FOREST – Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is hosting an American Red Cross blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Gloria Dei Center on the school’s campus, 760 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest.

The event is being coordinated by two Woodlands Academy students – Kit Kirkendall and Lauren Janos – in honor of Sister Patsy Reiss, a beloved presence at both Woodlands and the formerly adjoining Barat College for many years. The Gloria Dei Center is the college’s repurposed library building, which stands as the lone remaining Barat campus structure.

Reiss, who died Aug. 11 in Albany, New York, at age 88, was an avid blood donor. As campus minister at Barat College, Reiss organized an annual blood drive and spent the days leading up to it stressing the importance of student and staff participation. “You must give blood. It is so important,” she would say.

As one Barat graduate recalls: “When I was a freshman, I was very nervous about giving blood. Sister Patsy sat next to me and held my hand the whole time. I think of her every time I give blood.”

Online registration is required to participate in Woodlands Academy’s Sept. 9 blood drive. To register or for more information, visit rcblood.org/3T86Ncg.