In response to recent school shootings and his grandfather’s hospitalization, Ben Bookstaver ’19 partnered with humanitarian organization American Red Cross to host a blood drive Tuesday at the Palisades Branch Library.

The drive collected 25 pints of blood, which could potentially save up to 75 lives, Bookstaver said.

“It was hard to get many Harvard-Westlake students out to donate, considering they may have been on vacation, but I was still happy with the turnout,” Bookstaver said. “There was a lot of support from the community, and though as of now there are no definitive plans to hold another drive, the results of this one showed me that I am capable of successfully continuing this work in the future.”

Bookstaver reached out to his peers through social media few weeks prior in order to spread the word about the event.

“Each pint of blood we collect can help save up to three lives and will touch the lives of many more,” Bookstaver wrote in a Facebook post. “It is a great way to pay it forward and make an impact on people in our community and our  peers affected by tragedies.”