Dominion and Potomac Falls High Schools engaged in a fearsome rivalry in January – the Battle of Sterling Blood Drive. The two schools challenged each other to see which community – students, staff and families – could donate the most blood.
The challenge was inspired by four-year-old Alfie and his mom, Heather Bohon, a student assistance specialist at Potomac Falls, who helped coordinate the event. Born at Inova Loudoun Hospital in December 2021, Alfie was rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital and spent the next 44 days on life support.
During that scary period, Alfie received blood donations from 88 donors. This generosity is why Alfie’s family made it their mission to “give back every drop donated,” as Ms. Bohon explained. And the Battle of Sterling Blood Drive was born.
Alfie, a preschooler in the Potomac Falls High School Lil’ Panther Preschool, greeted students as they arrived in the auxiliary gym to donate during the morning session on Jan. 16. Many of those students already knew Alfie and his story, as they serve as his preschool teachers in the Lil’ Panther Preschool, an Early Childhood Education Learning Lab within the LCPS career and technical education curriculum.
Ms. Bohon said that support for the blood drive was great. From the very beginning, Potomac Falls Principal Dr. Tara Woolever championed the effort, helping turn a simple idea into a life‑changing event. Ms. Bohon added that organizations like Inova, which depend on donors, hope that students who donated during the Battle of Sterling will be inspired to become lifelong blood donors.
The Battle of Sterling Blood Drive resulted in the donation of 112 life-saving units of blood, including 88 units of whole blood and 24 units of red cells. While Dominion and Potomac Falls may brag about who won this competition, the real winners are the people whose lives will be saved thanks to this friendly rivalry.