When a member of the Corsicana community needs blood, fellow citizens roll up their sleeves to give. And that’s how it’s been for the past forty years.
One woman who shares responsibility for saving countless lives is Sue Wilson. As an unpaid volunteer for more than 30 years, Ms. Wilson made it her mission to set up monthly blood drives in Navarro County. Since 1971, Red Cross volunteers have held 12 drives per year, times forty years for a grand total of 480 blood drives. The number of people at each drive averages 20 for a total of 9,600 donors. Each pint a donor gives can save up to three lives so when it’s all said and done, the people of Navarro County, Texas have saved 28,800 lives through blood donations.
Today, the people of Corsicana will have an opportunity to join the Red Cross and thank area donors and volunteers for their lifesaving work. A special blood drive has been set up to honor the 40th anniversary. Being held at First United Methodist Church/Martin Hall, with a goal of course to collect forty pints of blood, the drive will last from 12:30p.m.-6:30p.m. To sign up for the blood drive, call 1-800-REDCROSS or go to www.redcrossblood.org.
“We really want this drive to be a success in honor of our past and present donors and volunteers,” said Shelly Campbell, branch manager, American Red Cross serving Navarro and Ellis Counties. “When you stop to think how many lives have been saved over the past 40 years, it’s mind-boggling. But more mind-boggling is realizing that many of those lives would have been lost without our donors.”
Campbell goes on to say that this is the perfect time to donate blood. “The winter storms we’ve endured across the country have left the Red Cross blood supply dangerously low. In fact, we’re down by about 33,000 pints nation-wide and we need to put that blood back on the shelf before we need it.”
A special reception, beginning at 11:30a.m., will be held in honor of Ms. Wilson and top blood donors like Roger Warner who has given 23 gallons over the years.
If you have been a Red Cross blood donor or volunteer and have a story to share, please join the Red Cross at the special reception.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcrossdallas.org or join our blog at www.redcrossdallas.blogspot.com.
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