Through the many changes 2020 brought us, one thing remained the same, TVH's dedication and determination to give back to the community. Our efforts would not be possible without the incredible generosity of our employees. One major way they like to give back is by participating in blood drives that help support their local blood banks. This year, despite the challenges brought on by the global pandemic, we were able to host three blood drives at our headquarters in Olathe, KS, and one at our facility in Grayslake, IL.
In January, we started out the year strong. Our employees in Olathe donated an impressive 55 units of blood with the American Red Cross, while our Grayslake employees gave 17 units with Vitalant. However, due to the restrictions brought on by COVID, we had to postpone our annual spring blood drive until we could figure out a safe and healthy way for our employees to donate blood. We know how important blood donations are, especially during this year, and we wanted to find a way to continue to give. Together with the Red Cross, we were able to come up with a solution. In June, our Olathe location hosted the Red Cross Bloodmobile in our facility’s parking lot. With everyone’s help, we accomplished our 25 unit goal.
The Red Cross and the Bloodmobile were able to come back once more during this year for our annual fall blood drive. With the success we saw during the summer drive, we worked with the organization to extend the hours, allowing more employees the opportunity to participate. From this drive, we were able to donate 32 units of blood, which is the equivalent of helping 96 people.
Even during these challenging times, our employees continue to step up and rise to the occasion by helping others. We had a total of 129 employees participate, and 19 of them donated blood for the first time this year! This means we helped a total of 387 people in our communities, and none of it would have been possible without our employees' generosity. If you are interested in donating blood, you can do so any time with the Red Cross by visiting any of their Blood Centers across the country.