Blood Donors Needed

I've never needed a blood transfusion, but I've known plenty of people who have--all different ages. Last year, I went to our marketing department and asked if there was something we could do to help get more blood donors in to Mississippi Blood Services. We brainstormed for a while and I asked my good friend and editorial cartoonist, Marshall Ramsey, if he would lend his drawing pen in designing a t-shirt for a Valentines blood drive in 2007. He graciously agreed. We not only did a blood drive on February 14, but also did one for Halloween. Due to the popularity of the t-shirt and the good hearts of Mississippians, we broke all previous donation records set in 2007 for Mississippi Blood Services (even broke the record for their blood drives the week of September 11, 2001.)

We're doing it again and we're asking for the donors to roll up their sleeves and help. This year, not only will donors receive a new designed t-shirt from Marshall, lunch by SoulShine Pizza Factory, and Valentines sweets from Three Sisters & A Mixer, but donors receive a chance to win: a weekend getaway package from Horizon Casino and a diamond & sapphire necklace from Sollberger. Over the next few days, you'll see the commercial on WLBT, but I wanted to share it with you here.

We've added some satellite donor locations this year for the first time: Millsaps College in Jackson (10am-4pm), the Vicksburg Walmart (Noon-6pm) and the Natchez Walmart (Noon-6pm). Those locations will have the Marshall Ramsey t-shirt, too. So if you're in town on February 14 or close to any of those locations, please come out and give blood to those who are in desperate need to have surgeries and other procedures but can't due to the lack of it.