American Red Cross Month- March 11th, and Last Week in Review!

Yet another week has come and gone by in a flash, and with every passing day, I am so very thankful for all the opportunities that being a Miss South Carolina local titleholder has presented me. Not only do I have the ability to be a voice for my platform, I also have the opportunity to meet and connect with many amazing people. Last week for me was Spring Break and I was thrilled to have some extra time to make a trip to Hartsville! I set up a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce and I had the distinct pleasure of spending some of my afternoon with the Chamber President herself, Mrs. Johnna Shirley. Speaking of being thankful, I am truly blessed to be able to represent such a wonderful town with amazing people. Hartsville's southern charm and hospitality really speaks for itself. Mrs. Shirley and I walked around and I was thrilled to be able to meet many different people, from City Hall to Lulu's to The Midnight Rooster. It was then, walking around the streets of Hartsville becoming acclimated to the lively town I will have the honor of representing, that I truly felt welcomed. Mrs. Shirley and the residents of Hartsville made me feel like family and like I had grown up there my entire life. It really made for a pleasant day and one that I won't soon forget. I look forward to furthering my involvement in the Hartsville community as a result of this visit and I can't wait to see what is yet to come! 

In other news, I also have a very exciting announcement! As part of my platform of blood donation, I'm thrilled to announce that I have not 1, but 2 blood drives planned in association with the American Red Cross! This is particularly exciting for me, mainly because I have previously only been a donor and now, having the opportunity to host my own drive will further my involvement and impact in this impeccable organization. The first blood drive will be held on May 19th at the First Presbyterian Church in Hartsville. This will provide a venue for me to meet and connect with more people in the Hartsville area and it will provide a venue for others to save lives! The second blood drive will be held on June 5th at the Cypress Center in Manning in association with The Zone. I'm excited about this one, because even though I'm representing Hartsville, it gives me the opportunity to extend my platform and community service into my hometown. Being able to reach out to 2 places and incorporate both communities is something that is of great importance to me and I'm ecstatic that I have the ability to do so.

Speaking of blood donation, I'm still continuing with my advocacy for National American Red Cross Month. Just as a refresher, each day during the month of March, I will be posting a fact about blood donation and I will provide locations for blood drives occurring the next day. One of the main concerns of people who are first time donors is if losing blood from their body through donating will do them any harm. It's comforting to know that after a whole blood donation, your bone marrow naturally replenishes your body with what you have lost through the donation. Some of those elements are replenished in a matter of hours while others are replenished in a matter of weeks. That's also why you have to wait a minimum of 8 weeks before you can donate again. By that time, your body has been replenished and you are able to give more blood to save more lives! What an awesome thing this is!

With that being said, there are blood donations happening tomorrow! Here are March 12th's blood drives across the state of South Carolina:*

Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church- Lexington

American Red Cross Donor Center- Columbia

*All locations were obtained via the official American Red Cross website.