Dear editor:

The holidays are about memories, reliving old ones and making new.
Think back to your childhood. Can you recall receiving what you thought was the perfect gift? You may still have it or it might be long gone. Although it’s a happy memory, was it the perfect gift?
Ask a cancer survivor or a trauma victim to describe the perfect gift, and many would tell you the perfect gift doesn’t come in a box. It’s a lifesaving blood donation.
Blood is often needed for traumas, heart surgeries, joint-replacement surgeries, organ transplants, premature babies, leukemia, cancer treatments and much more. Since there is no substitute for human blood, these patients rely on volunteer blood donors like you to provide the blood products they need to survive.
This year, the American Red Cross Southern Blood Services Region has issued a 30K for the Holidays challenge to help prevent winter blood shortages, and we need your help to make this successful. Our goal is to collect 30,000 pints of blood by Dec. 31.
When you donate blood, you give the perfect gift – another hug, another laugh, another smile, another chance – to someone in need of blood.
Think outside the box this holiday season. The perfect gift is at your nearest American Red Cross blood drive or blood donation center. And, unlike the latest fashion trend, video game or golf club, the perfect gift costs nothing but an hour of your time.
Give the perfect gift and help a family member, friend or someone you’ve never met unwrap a lifetime of memories.

Sincerely,
Randy Edwards
Chief executive officer
American Red Cross