Legacy Blood Drives

“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” - Kalu Ndukwe Kalu, political scientist and author of Citizenship.

Do you want your loved one to have a lasting legacy of hope and caring? Do you wish to organize a remembrance focused on healing and compassion? Our Blood Institute can help you organize a Legacy Blood Drive.

These drives are a way for families to sustain memories of a loved one who has passed by memorializing them through a blood drive.

Legacy Drives can be held in our Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas service areas. To learn more about Legacy Drives or to set yours up in advance, please reach out to programs@obi.org.

We've joined with Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes and Cemeteries to help you leave a legacy or honor your loved ones.

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We want to help families create a legacy for those they have lost. Here is how it works:

  • At the pre-planning session with Dignity Memorial, an informational piece that explains Legacy Drives will be available for families.
  • At a post-memorial service touchpoint from Dignity Memorial, the family will receive the informational piece and who to contact for more information about hosting a Legacy Drive, should the family be interested.

We believe this partnership is valuable to help show the difference blood donation can make in the lives of the living, while remembering the legacy of those who have passed away.

Previous Legacy Drives

The MTK Blood Drive in Amarillo, TX, was the first Legacy Blood Drive. It is hosted annually by the MTK Foundation and is held in memory of Madison Taylor Knebushch, who was diagnosed and lost her battle with pediatric cancer.

Madison was diagosed with cancer in 2010 and underwent several surgeries, multipe rounds of chemotherapy and required many blood transfusions. After a hard fight, Madison passed away in January 2012 at the age of 16. Madison chose to donate her body to Texas Tech Health Science Center for research. It was her hope that it would help the medical community find a cure for this terrible disease so that others would not have to suffer. Her family has held several legacy drives in her honor at Coffee Memorial Blood Center in Amarillo. You can learn more about her story here.

In Honor of Claudius James (C.J.)

Upon graduation from high school, CJ started working for his father at JA Oilfield Manufacturing Inc. He was described as bold, adventerous, caring and loving. He was a shining example of the love of God and lived his life to the fullest.

Unfortunately, CJ battledSickle Cell Anemia. This disease affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of the body. During his life, he was able to benefit from the many individuals who donated blood so he could continue to live his life as meaningfully and full as possible. His battle with Sickle Cell required a regimen of longstanding intermittent blood transfusions. During his medical treatments, CJ received hundreds of units of blood. Thanks to the generosity of volunteer blood donors in Oklahoma, CJ always had the blood he needed. He lived his life to the fullest because of blood donors. His legacy lives on through all the lives he touched.

We hosted a Legacy Drive on June 19 from 9AM-1PM at South Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma City. It was very successfull and had many first-time donors participate.

Join us as a partner.

We are interested in building a stronger network of funeral home partners. If interested, please reach out to programs@obi.org.