On October 12, 2013, Longtime Kilgore Rotarian Bob Miracle was the first donor of the first blood drive. Bob donated two units of red cells, what 90% of recipients are said to need most.
Over a span of eight years, Pilgrim Lutheran Church and the Rotary Club of Kilgore have co-sponsored 32 Quarterly Kilgore Community Blood Drives and collected more than 500 units of blood products, initially partnering with Carter BloodCare out of Tyler (its home office is in Dallas) and more-recently partnering with the Blood Center of East Texas out of Nacogdoches (a part of Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, with its home office in Houston). At present, a new partner agency is being sought to continue our tradition of contributing to the health of our communities in this way.
There is a regular need for blood in East Texas, and the different blood collection agencies that work in our region share resources across their usual boundaries after a major event or when a specific type is low. On average, there are not enough donors to meet daily needs. Given such short supply, blood is typically transfused within 36 to 72 hours of being donated.
These Quarterly Kilgore Community Blood Drives are intended to make donating more convenient for those in Kilgore. The closest collection centers are in Longview and Tyler. Mobile drives are held in Kilgore somewhat regularly for certain groups and as needed for the public, but the community had not previously had a regular community drive open to the general public. The Pilgrim congregation and the Rotary Club are hosting such a community drives about once every three months, so Kilgore donors, by coming to each drive, can easily donate four times per year. Whole-blood donors generally are eligible to donate every two months (once every 56 days).
A Carter BloodCare phlebotomist checks the flow of blood from one of the donors at the October 12, 2013, Kilgore Community Blooddrive. Each unit of whole blood can touch three lives!
Are you willing and able to donate? In general, eligible donors have an official photo ID, are at least 17 years old (those 16-years old usually can donate with parental-consent; there is no upper age limit), are in good general health and feel well that day, and are not temporarily or permanently disqualified for other reasons. Donors aged 16-18 must weigh at least 122 pounds, and donors aged 19 and up must weigh at least 110 pounds. (Rules change, so a donor previously ineligible may now be eligible.) Even if you yourself cannot donate, you can support the drive in other ways, such as by encouraging others who can donate to do so. On average, donating takes less than 1 hour for the whole process, with the actual donation taking only 6-10 minutes.
As even the Bible says, life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). A single donation, in fact, can save three lives! And, there is no reason to be afraid of donating: the process is safe (for example, you cannot get AIDS or any other disease from giving blood). In addition to a good feeling from contributing to the community, donors often are rewarded with points that can be redeemed or saved.
Pilgrim Lutheran Church is a congregation of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod that has been a part of Kilgore since 1952. The congregation’s mission is to glorify God by receiving the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and sharing that salvation through word and deed with those in our midst, in our community, and throughout the world. Showing God’s love by serving the community through projects such as this blood drive is a part of that mission.
Kilgore Rotary Club (Club #1868) consists of professional men and women dedicated to service in their community and around the world. The Club is part of the NE Texas, SE Oklahoma, and SW Arkansas region (District #5830) and Rotary International. The larger organizations have challenged each Rotary Club to host blood drives and encourage competition between nearby Clubs, comparing the ratios of donated units to Club members.
Please donate in or otherwise support these Kilgore drives! Watch the website for the date of the next drive and a link to schedule an appointment, or contact the church office using the information at the right.
Read the Kilgore News Herald’s coverage of the Kilgore Community Blood Drives here. You may also wish to read Pastor Galler’s newspaper columns about giving blood: “Life is in the blood“, “The Gift of Jesus’s Blood“, “It’s the real thing!“, “Blood is always a valuable gift“, “The sacrifice of human blood“, “Drops of blood to start new year“, “The ‘business’ of blood“, “Living Sacrifices“, “Blood and instants“,”What flesh and blood cannot do“,”Shedding versus giving blood“,”Demand and supply for Christ’s blood and ours“,”Sufficient blood for life“, “Blood for transfusing and otherwise saving lives“, “The availability of Jesus’s blood and ours“, “Nothing but Jesus’s blood and ours“, “One blood“, “You can help your neighbors’ need for blood“, “There is no substitute for our or Jesus’s blood“, “Can you shed a little blood to help your neighbor?“, “A ‘Blood Donor’ saved your life“, “Eligible ‘good Samaritans’ should love by giving blood“, “Like Jesus we can sacrifice our blood“, “Saving faith can lead to donating blood“, and “Jesus’s blood saves eternally, ours here and now“.
