Blood drive held to honor Ocilla businessman

OCILLA — Ocilla businessman Glenn Roberts, a 1977 graduate of Irwin County High School and an avid hunter and fisherman, passed away on June 4, 2016. In his battle against cancer, Roberts needed many transfusions of blood and platelets. The Annual Glenn Roberts Memorial Blood Drive is being held in his honor to help give second chances to other patients and their families in the community.

The Glenn Roberts Memorial Blood Drive will be held June 11 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at Dill’s Ace Hardware, 352 Fitzgerald Highway in Ocilla. For more information or to make an appointment, call (229) 468-9114 or email [email protected]. Those who donate on the “Big Red Bus” will receive a Glenn Roberts Memorial T-shirt, a $10 e-gift card, a wellness check-up of blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron count, including a Cholesterol Screening.

All blood centers are regulated by the FDA and must follow strict guidelines on how they operate. OneBlood meets all FDA guidelines and all team members follow strict safety protocols, including:

♦ All OneBlood staff are required to wear masks;

♦ For blood donors who are fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, masks are optional.

♦ Blood donors who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, masks are required.

♦ All OneBlood phlebotomists wear medical gloves that are changed for each donation.

♦ All donor-touched areas and equipment are disinfected after every donation. This includes, donor beds, registration tablets, blood-pressure cuff and hemoglobin sensors.

♦ A sterile collection set is used for every donation.

♦ Every donor receives a mini-physical that includes a temperature check to ensure donors are healthy and well on the day of donation.

♦ Only people who are healthy are eligible to donate blood.

Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. Photo ID is required. To learn more about the importance of blood donation and how donors can target the power of their blood type, visit oneblood.org or call 1-888-9DONATE (1-888-936-6283).

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