Hose Elementary hosted a blood drive in honor of Jaxtyn (Rogers) McClure, their first grade student who passed away in early November following an accident. On Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, Hose Elementary turned into a donation site. The blood drive organizing company,Versiti,  keeps donations local as they provide the donations to the hospitals to help those in need of blood. Versiti collected 41 units of blood at the Hose drive, meeting the goal of 40 set in Jaxtyn’s honor.
Hose Elementary art teacher Beata Steiner created a canvas to sign by all those who donated. She used Jaxtyn’s favorite color, green, with a heart to create a special keepsake for the family.
“We are pleased to be able to organize and host this blood drive in Jaxtyn’s honor,” school counselor Mallory Tucker said. “We miss Jaxtyn’s sweet smile in the halls each day, and wanted to find a way to help others in his honor. While it doesn’t take away the pain of losing such a young member of our school community, bringing something positive out of the pain is a healthy part of the grief process.”
Members of Jaxtyn’s family, school community, and other community members touched by his story all donated at the blood drive.