Blood drive will honor local heroes

By Staff
Staff Reports, Hartselle Enquirer
The American Red Cross is hosting the "Community Heroes" Blood Drive Sept. 9 at four separate locations in Morgan County.
The drives are planned for the American Red Cross Office in Decatur from 7 a.m.-6 p.m; SouthTrust Bank in Hartselle from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Colonial Mall in Decatur from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Veteran Park Community Center on Highway 67 in Priceville, from 1:30 -7 p.m.
The event is part of the United Way Day of Caring and in commemoration of Sept. 11, 2001.
Blood donors are asked to donate in honor of local policeman, firemen, servicemen, teachers or in honor of their own personal hero. Each donor will be given a flag card to write their hero's name on. The flag will be hung in the Red Cross office during September.
Each blood donor will receive a community heroes T-shirt and Chick-fil-A and Pizza Hut coupons. Special refreshments will be served during the blood drives.
Those who are unable to donate on Sept. 9 can donate Sept. 6 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church in memory of Mary Shaw Ozier and Lep Wenzler. Ozier, a Decatur High School student, was planning a blood drive to replenish some of the blood she had received while battling leukemia. Ozier lost her battle with the disease, but her church has carried on the tradition of the blood drive for four years.
Wenzler was the local Red Cross Board Chairman who passed away after a struggle with cancer. Sept. 11 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. donors will also have the chance to give at Lakeland Industries.
The Civic Club Challenge, which is normally held each year on the Day of Caring, will not be held this year.
To donate blood, participants must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more and have not given blood in the last 56 days.