Calendar of Events

The Blood Connection (TBC) now has an urgent need for O negative blood donations specifically in its Upstate region, which includes Greenville, Spartanburg, Lexington, Easley, Greenwood, and Seneca in South Carolina as well as Asheville and Hendersonville in western North Carolina. TBC is the exclusive blood provider for all hospitals in these regions.

O negative blood is the most transfused blood type for traumas and emergencies, so the demand never wavers. O negative blood donors are often referred to as the “universal donor” since everyone, no matter their blood type, can receive O negative blood. TBC now finds itself with dangerously low inventory levels of O negative blood and blood products caused by continued low donor turnout and recent trauma cases at TBC hospital partners in South Carolina.

The only way for the O negative blood supply to be replenished is for the public to donate blood. Anyone who knows they have O negative blood is urged to donate blood with TBC immediately. If potential donors do not know their blood type, they can donate with TBC and blood type information will be shared.

TBC has spent the past year battling historically low blood donor turnout. After many pleas with the South Carolina and North Carolina community, TBC has seen some recovery from these low collection numbers, but not enough to comfortably sustain the local hospital blood supply. TBC aims to have a 5-7 day supply of O negative blood but has recently had a 2-3 day supply. In some instances, one trauma case alone can use up that supply. Only about 7% of the world’s population has O negative blood.

To find a donor center or mobile unit location to donate, go to thebloodconnection.org/donate, call 864-751-1154, or walk into any donor center or mobile unit. TBC has eight donor center locations in the Upstate and western North Carolina regions.

• All blood donors will receive a Raglan t-shirt, a clear bag, and two tickets to a future Tourists game.  All donors will also receive a hot dog lunch and drink.

 The Blood Connection, the non-profit community blood center, and the Asheville Tourists are proud to renew their partnership to support the local blood supply in the Western Carolinas while bringing baseball fun to blood donors across the region. The Asheville Tourists are a longstanding member of the Lifesaver League – a group of minor league sports teams committed to serving their community through hosting blood drives and encouraging blood donation.

“The Blood Connection are wonderful partners and we look forward to doing our part to help the Western North Carolina communities.  Providing a convenient location as well as a great ballpark hotdog to the donors is a small contribution for all the great work The Blood Connection provides our area,” said Tourists General Manager Larry Hawkins.

The Tourists have called Asheville home for decades and have been a consistent partner of The Blood Connection.  TBC is the community blood center serving the Carolinas, and is the sole blood supplier for Mission Health, Advent Health, and Pardee Health, among a dozen others across the mountains. After a year of historically low blood donor turnout, TBC is even more reliant on partners like the Tourists to host successful blood drives this season.

“Our Lifesaver League partnerships are a longstanding tradition within The Blood Connection, and we are excited for another season hosting drives with the Asheville Tourists,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of The Blood Connection.  “We’re looking forward to reaching more potential blood donors across Western North Carolina by bringing our blood donation opportunities to Tourists fans and McCormick Field.  Local hospitals certainly need their donations desperately.”

That’s right! 12 Bones has partnered up with AVL Charcuterie Co. for a Charcuterie Board Making Class! Grab a beer and head to the private back room where you’ll learn how to make a charcuterie board with Lindsey from AVL Charcuterie Co.

Lindsey will take you through the process step by step on how to make a gorgeous board to impress your family and friends. Eat your board after the class or take it home to share!

The Blood Connection (TBC) now has an urgent need for O negative blood donations specifically in its Upstate region, which includes Greenville, Spartanburg, Lexington, Easley, Greenwood, and Seneca in South Carolina as well as Asheville and Hendersonville in western North Carolina. TBC is the exclusive blood provider for all hospitals in these regions.

O negative blood is the most transfused blood type for traumas and emergencies, so the demand never wavers. O negative blood donors are often referred to as the “universal donor” since everyone, no matter their blood type, can receive O negative blood. TBC now finds itself with dangerously low inventory levels of O negative blood and blood products caused by continued low donor turnout and recent trauma cases at TBC hospital partners in South Carolina.

The only way for the O negative blood supply to be replenished is for the public to donate blood. Anyone who knows they have O negative blood is urged to donate blood with TBC immediately. If potential donors do not know their blood type, they can donate with TBC and blood type information will be shared.

TBC has spent the past year battling historically low blood donor turnout. After many pleas with the South Carolina and North Carolina community, TBC has seen some recovery from these low collection numbers, but not enough to comfortably sustain the local hospital blood supply. TBC aims to have a 5-7 day supply of O negative blood but has recently had a 2-3 day supply. In some instances, one trauma case alone can use up that supply. Only about 7% of the world’s population has O negative blood.

To find a donor center or mobile unit location to donate, go to thebloodconnection.org/donate, call 864-751-1154, or walk into any donor center or mobile unit. TBC has eight donor center locations in the Upstate and western North Carolina regions.

Every year, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums throw a ‘Party for the Planet’ to encourage people to take action to create healthy habitats for wildlife and humans to thrive together.

Endangered Species Day launches the WNC Nature Center’s ongoing partnership with ECO-CELL, an organization that recycles electronic devices to help protect crucial rainforest habitats. Starting May 20 through the end of the year, you can bring your old, broken, or bedazzled electronics to the Ticket Office at the Front Entrance of the WNC Nature Center and donate them to support conservation efforts.

Accepted items for recycling include cell phones, smartphones, iPhones, iPods, iPads, tablets, Apple/Android watches, bluetooth, tablets, GPS, MP3 players, e-readers, digital cameras, handheld gaming systems and the accessories that come with them.

Electronic devices like tablets and cell phones contain an ore called Coltan, which coats the capacitors inside gadgets to make them energy efficient. This ore is found in great quantities in the Congo, home to the critically endangered gorilla and chimpanzee. Due to Coltan mining in the Congo, the eastern lowland gorilla population has declined 90 percent. Recycling your gadgets with ECO-CELL helps save these animals by reducing the demand for Coltan and providing funds to conservation organizations.

The WNC Nature Center will be donating all proceeds to the Red Wolf Coalition to help protect one of the most endangered canines in the world, the American Red Wolf.

*Regular admission applies

Questions about this event? Email Chrissy at [email protected] for more information!

Grab your friends, grab your family and join Odyssey Community School for an evening of music, dance and joy! Ticket includes food, 1 drink and headphones for our Silent Disco fundraiser event!

Wands for Wildlife inspires people to help wildlife and the environment through re-purposing discarded mascara wands for use in wildlife care, art and education. Old mascara wands are received from people across the country and even around the world. When they arrive, they must be sorted to remove unusable (dirty/frayed) wands and specialty wands to use in art. The rest are provided to Wildlife Caregivers to help in their work to save injured and orphaned wild animals. Volunteers are needed to help with sorting the inventory of wands – email for more information and to sign up to help.

Anxiety can be a debilitating force in life and at times, so debilitating that it interferes with the ability to manage one’s own activities of daily living. When this happens, it’s important to know that there are supports available to treat and assist in the management of symptoms. This free workshop focuses on different types of anxiety disorders and specifically details ones more commonly seen in older adults. The class will also cover interventions available to assist in calming the anxious mind.

These events will be facilitated by the Vaya Health GERO team. CEU’s are provided through NC Department of Health and Human Services. The workshops are free, but you do need to register here.

Workshop information

Thursday, May 12 at 10:30 AM
Pack Memorial Library – 67 Haywood St. – Asheville
(828) 250-4700

Tuesday, May 24 at 1:00 PM
Enka-Candler Library – 1404 Sandhill Rd. – Candler
(828) 250-4758

The blood from BERC Network blood banks is being sent to South Texas Blood and Tissue, the steward of the local blood supply in that part of Texas. TBC has more blood in reserve to send if called upon again. In order to help other communities, the local blood supply must be stable. It’s important to have an available day-to-day blood supply on the shelves in the event of any emergencies – locally or BERC-assisted – when blood and time are critical. The community is urged to donate blood now at any TBC center or bloodmobile.

WNC Bridge Foundation is excited to welcome the local community to our new facility on Thursday, May 26 from 11:00am – 4:00pm. The Open House will be in conjunction with a Community Blood Drive in partnership with The Blood Connection. We look forward to seeing our neighbors and friends for a tour our facility and to learn more about our Community Initiatives and regional impact, while presenting an opportunity to give back to the local community through the on-site Blood Drive.

Each blood donation saves up to 3 lives!  Donors need to be at least 16 years old (16-year-old need a permission slip), weigh at least 110 pounds, have ID and be in general good health. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are honored first! Please schedule an appointment by clicking on this link:

https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/192357

A $20 eGift card will be given to individual donors for each blood donation collected. For any questions regarding the Open House or Blood Drive, please contact Morgan Bradley at: [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you there!

The blood from BERC Network blood banks is being sent to South Texas Blood and Tissue, the steward of the local blood supply in that part of Texas. TBC has more blood in reserve to send if called upon again. In order to help other communities, the local blood supply must be stable. It’s important to have an available day-to-day blood supply on the shelves in the event of any emergencies – locally or BERC-assisted – when blood and time are critical. The community is urged to donate blood now at any TBC center or bloodmobile.

The blood from BERC Network blood banks is being sent to South Texas Blood and Tissue, the steward of the local blood supply in that part of Texas. TBC has more blood in reserve to send if called upon again. In order to help other communities, the local blood supply must be stable. It’s important to have an available day-to-day blood supply on the shelves in the event of any emergencies – locally or BERC-assisted – when blood and time are critical. The community is urged to donate blood now at any TBC center or bloodmobile.

The blood from BERC Network blood banks is being sent to South Texas Blood and Tissue, the steward of the local blood supply in that part of Texas. TBC has more blood in reserve to send if called upon again. In order to help other communities, the local blood supply must be stable. It’s important to have an available day-to-day blood supply on the shelves in the event of any emergencies – locally or BERC-assisted – when blood and time are critical. The community is urged to donate blood now at any TBC center or bloodmobile.

The blood from BERC Network blood banks is being sent to South Texas Blood and Tissue, the steward of the local blood supply in that part of Texas. TBC has more blood in reserve to send if called upon again. In order to help other communities, the local blood supply must be stable. It’s important to have an available day-to-day blood supply on the shelves in the event of any emergencies – locally or BERC-assisted – when blood and time are critical. The community is urged to donate blood now at any TBC center or bloodmobile.