The rain was falling steadily on Tuesday, June 28, but we still managed to collect 42 units at our summer Red Cross blood drive. Each unit can save up to three lives––that’s up to 126 lives saved at a time when blood supply is at a 10-year low! 

Although we fell just shy of our collection goal of 45 units, Home Missions Team member Connie Rink noted that many of our faithful donors were traveling, and Coastal South Carolina Regional Account Manager Brandon Kenney pointed out that the weather could have affected walk-ins and presented traffic challenges to some donors.  He chalked our total up as “a solid win”!

“We rely on blood drive partners such as [St. Philip’s] throughout the year to meet hospitals’ blood needs,” Kenney wrote in a follow-up email to the Home Missions Team. “So once again, a BIG THANK YOU for offering this opportunity to your congregation to help ensure a safe and adequate blood supply. Y’all are saving lives!”

Connie Rink shared, “What was really exciting to me were the number of new members and first-timers who were called to sign up for the drive and serve as volunteers! I truly love the fellowship of our parish members coming together for this life-saving mission. It was great fun watching folks catching up with each other.” Other highlights of the drive for her were hearing some of the donors’ reasons for giving blood: a surgeon who’d recently returned to Charleston felt called to donate after witnessing firsthand the need for blood donations, and a couple heard about the urgent need on the news and is now looking for opportunities to give regularly.

The date of the next drive is already set, so mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 20, from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Whole blood donors can give every eight weeks, so if you missed out on our summer blood drive, you can donate any time before July 26 and still participate in our fall drive! Visit redcrossblood.org to find out when and where you can donate.

Margaret McKenzie

Home Missions Team members Becky Barber (center) and Swain Marion (right) with a Red Cross staff member

Suzanne McCord signs in with a donor card that she's had for so long that it predates scanning!