HOXWORTH'S RIGHT TYPE PARTY

One of the largest and most-attended blood drives of the year takes place at Great American Ball Park, as Hoxworth Blood Center partners with the Cincinnati Reds. This year, the spokesman for Hoxworth is none other than Marty Brennaman, long-time announcer for the Reds. To kick off the event, Montgomery Inn Boathouse hosted a meet-and-greet with Marty and other influential people dedicated to saving lives.

Dean Gregory, owner of Montgomery Inn

Marty Brennaman speaks about Hoxworth and baseball

Marty and I sporting the Marty paddle fan giveaways.

Hoxworth serves 17 counties throughout the tri-state, and is responsible for collecting, testing, processing and distributing blood to 31 local hospitals. In order to meet the needs of patients, 400 volunteer blood donors and 40 platelet donors are needed each day to keep the supply bountiful.

This 7-year-old was born with a rare form of anemia, and relies on Hoxworth to receive 13 transfusions a year.

His mother tells their story and their gratitude to Hoxworth.

The Annual Reds Blood Drive is equipped to handle donors en mass, and also offers incentives for those who come down to the ballpark. Donors receive a free Cincinnati Reds tee shirt, Marty paddle fan, and a pair of tickets to a Reds game. Over 500 people have already signed up to take part in this charitable event.

Giving blood takes less ten minutes and is relatively painless.  Here are some cool facts I learned from the staff at Hoxworth at their event:

- There are four main types of blood A, B, AB and O. Each can be positive or negative. AB is the universal recipient; O negative is the universal donor of red blood cells.
- Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood – less than 10 percent do annually.
- Someone needs blood every two seconds.
- One pint of a donor's blood can save up to three lives.
- Healthy adults are able to donate one pint of blood every two months.

Hoxworth staff looks on at the event.

One of the oldest blood centers in the country, Hoxworth was founded in December 1938 by a Cincinnati surgeon, Dr. Paul I. Hoxworth. It originated as a one-room laboratory with peak demand during World War II, and has since transformed into a state-of-the-art facility with eight donor centers.



The Annual Reds Blood Drive takes place on June 13 from 10:00AM - 7:00PM.
Reds Week will be celebrated from June 10 - 15 at all neighborhood donor centers. Donors at these locations will receive a free Cincinnati Reds shirt for their contribution.