Kristina Parke wins Lead the Way scholarship

DAYTON, Ohio – Community Blood Center (CBC) and Vectren have awarded a $1,000 Lead The Way Creative Scholarship to Bradford High School senior Kristina “Kristy” Parke for the skillful blend of style, symbolism and ingenuity in her winning blood drive recruitment campaign.

Kristy lives in Covington and is one of five scholarship winners representing schools in Montgomery, Clarke, Miami and Darke County. Also receiving $1,000 for college tuition are Margaret Woolf from Northmont High School; Jennifer Felzien from Northeastern High School; Rachel Neff from Oakwood High School; and Hannah Saxe from Dayton Christian High School.

Applicants were asked to create a theme for their high school blood drive and explain why it would effectively encourage fellow students to donate. They were also challenged to express the theme in a clever, creative fashion using conventional marketing techniques or innovative, artistic expressions.

Kristy’s campaign featured a creative and unusual donor gift: A bracelet woven from 70 feet of red and white parachute cord. It’s an idea she says that will appeal to her classmates because it is both symbolic and trendy.

“The Paracord Bracelet is used in the armed forces for an extra parachute string,” she said, describing the bracelet as a symbol of “strength.” She explains the connection in her slogan, “70 Feet of Paracord can save ONE life, a Few Minutes can save up to THREE! So have STRENGTH and Come Donate. ”

“It is meant to hold heavy weight and be very useful. Many people just wear them because they are neat and made from all colors, but their real use is to save lives,” she said. “They will get students attention because they are something different… and can actually be put to good use someday.”

BHS hosts four high school drives and two community drives per year. Kristy is a member of Student Council, which sponsors two of the high school drives, but she volunteers at every drive. “I have worked every blood drive the school has hosted since I was in 6th grade,” she said. “I was so excited when I found out about the Lead The Way scholarship. I worked so hard on the blood drives and it was so exciting.”

“Kristy is the biggest sweetheart you’ll ever meet,” said Bradford High School Principal P.J. Burgett. “She’s known by her whole class as the class ‘mom.’ If you cut your finger, she’s probably got a Band-Aid in her purse.”

Kristina plans to study pediatric nursing at Kent State University.

The Lead The Way Creative Scholarship for High School Seniors is made possible by a $5,000 grant from Vectren. It is open to all graduating, college-bound seniors in CBC’s 15-county region whose high school hosts a CBC blood drive.