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Jackson Public Schools partnership with American Red Cross yields 535 pints, district scholarships
Summary
Jackson Public Schools leaders and American Red Cross representatives reported that a districtwide student-led blood drive collected 535 pints of blood, produced $12,350 in scholarships and placed three JPS schools in the Red Cross national top 10 for sickle-cell–focused collections.
Jackson Public Schools and the American Red Cross told the Board of Trustees that a districtwide student-led blood donation campaign collected 535 pints of blood and generated $12,350 in scholarship awards for students.
The report, presented by Assistant Superintendent for High Schools Lakeisha Marshall Thomas and American Red Cross representatives, said the drives were run by student councils and advisers across all six JPS high schools. Denise Smith of the American Red Cross described the drives as “a life saving effort” and said the 535 units collected have the potential to impact more than 1,600 lives.
The campaign also included scholarship awards tied to the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative. Marshall Thomas said the total of district scholarship awards linked to the campaign was $12,350 and that three Jackson schools were, as of the report, in the national top 10 for units collected; the top-10 ranking would earn an additional $5,000 scholarship for one student at each qualifying school if the placement holds when final tallies are completed.
Denise Smith, Strategic Business Planning Manager for Donor Recruitment at the American Red Cross, said, “We couldn’t have done what we did without the leadership of Miss Beaulieu and the student council advisors.” She added that the Red Cross planned continued monthly drives and local events, and recognized Jackson Public Schools as the Southwest Mississippi Chapter’s Blood Services Sponsorship Group of the Year in a presentation dated April 24, 2025.
Marshall Thomas and board members highlighted student leadership and learning outcomes from the effort: students gained knowledge about sickle cell disease, engaged in public-health advocacy, and helped increase the district’s national visibility for community health work. The district said the Red Cross partnership also includes additional student development opportunities such as HBCU ambassador programming at Jackson State University.
Board members applauded the results and asked staff to continue providing updates on final scholarship tallies and any follow-up programming tied to the initiative.
