Hundreds of donors paraded through the activity hall at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach June 4-5 to help Florida Blood Services with its supply, as well as raise money for five Island nonprofits.
The Island Blood Drive, held annually in June, is a dual-purpose drive, helping FBS collect life-saving blood and helping fund programs by the Anna Maria Island Community Center, the Anna Maria Island Privateers, the West Manatee Fire Rescue Auxiliary, the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island and Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc.
Iron-rich volunteers donate the blood, and an anonymous family foundation donates $100 for each good unit of blood collected.
Donors Pat Morton and Andy Sheridan, both of Holmes Beach, were the first in line and among the first to give blood June 4.
“I come out every year for this event. I’m a regular blood donor,” Sheridan said as he rested in a chair in the church activity hall awaiting the blood draw.
Morton, a city commissioner, also donates regularly — about six times a year.
“I give for a good cause — for saving lives,” Morton said, adding an aside, “Then there’s the T-shirt.” The first 250 donors received a bright orange Island Blood Drive shirt.
Morton said he never misses the Island event.
“My first year I got elected, that’s when I started donating,” said Morton, adding that he also tries to recruit other donors, emphasizing the process is easy and painless.
Organizers expected to know later this week how much blood was collected and charitable money was raised with the two-day event.
Both the center and the privateers planned to use income from this year’s drive for youth scholarships, with the privateers applying the money to its college program and the center applying the money to its camp and classroom programs.
The rotary planned to use its donations for operating expenses, including the support of youth programs at Anna Maria Elementary School in Holmes Beach, where the club supports a Peace Day celebration, several reading initiatives and a character-building campaign.
Wildlife Inc., which operates a rehab center in Bradenton Beach, relies on blood-drive revenue to cover a sizable percentage of the expense of caring for injured and rescued animals.
The auxiliary group associated with WMFR uses its revenue for education programs and to maintain the old fire station in Bradenton Beach, as well as an old fire truck.