The next chance for citizens to help a neighbor with “The Gift of Life” will be Monday June 23 in the monthly Waycross Community Blood Drive.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the Waycross Exchange Club meeting facility, 2401 Knight Avenue.
Lee Hardware and The Body Shop are June’s corporate sponsors. The businesses are making it possible for blood donors to win some lucrative cash door prizes. The grand cash prize will be $100.
Plus, the American Red Cross is offering a $15 Amazon e-gift card to each blood donor.
“The Red Cross tells us they continue to fight an uphill battle in recruiting enough blood donors to keep emergency blood supplies at sufficient levels,” said Gary Griffin, a member of the Waycross Area Blood Drive Volunteers. “We only had 83 donations last month, so we know there are many donors eligible to give this time. We’ve grown accustomed to having more than 100 donors at our monthly drives.”
He said donors who have the Red Cross blood donor app will likely get a text or e-mail ... or even a phone call urging them to give.
“Even if you don't receive a notification, consider this to be your invitation,” Griffin said. “Our monthly drive has become a social event. You will probably run into a friend or neighbor you'll be glad to see.”
Due to a community-wide effort spearheaded by the Waycross Area Blood Drive Volunteers organization, the monthly Waycross Community Blood Drive has risen to the No. 1 spot in Georgia among recurring monthly drives.
“Our local news media is a major factor in the success,” Griffin said, “along with the Exchange Club, businesses such as Waycross Coca-Cola, Domino's Pizza, Breezy's Boutique and all of our corporate sponsors from month to month ... including Lee Hardware and Rick and Mary Fogle's Body Shop. We should all be prepared to thank them if and when someone you know might need emergency blood. You never know ... every two seconds someone somewhere needs blood.”
