When the initial email went out asking for blood donors, Lane & Waterman’s new Director of Marketing and Client Relations, Melissa Pepper, had a personal story to tell. “I worked at Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) for five years. Giving blood became much more than a one-hour commitment with a cookie at the finish line. I wanted to share with my new workplace the impact of being a blood donor.”

To that end, she spearheaded Lane & Waterman’s blood drive this week. The blood drive was held in conjunction with Wells Fargo (with whom they share a building), and the firm invited local businesses to send their employees to donate as well. The goal was to make it a community event.

A community event it was; at the conclusion of the blood drive, MVRBC staff collected 11 donations. Since each donation can be split into its components, up to 44 patients can benefit from the Lane & Waterman/Wells Fargo sponsored drive. The Blood Center typically finds this time of year challenging for inventory, because winter weather, school sports activities, and even the current political campaign take a toll on the rate of blood donations.

“The act of having a blood drive is in itself something special. It is encouraging and inspiring to see various people press “pause” on their work day to donate blood to patients they will never meet,” said Kyle Day, Lane & Waterman attorney and Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center General Counsel and Board of Directors member. “Many people find it hard to make the time to drive to one of the donor centers to donate, so it’s great to have the donor center come to us. MVRBC is grateful for all of the blood drive partners who help sustain a healthy blood supply all year round.”

Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is the exclusive provider for all hospitals in the Quad Cities area, with more than 19,000 components used locally each year. It operates donor centers in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin. To learn more, visit www.bloodcenter.org.