The Blood Connection and the Asheville Tourists are renewing 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.”
The Blood Connection and the Tourists will hold two blood drives throughout the 2022 season:
- Thursday, May 19 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- 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.
- Thursday, August 4 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- All blood donors will receive a Dugout mug and two free tickets to a future Tourists game. All donors will also receive a hot dog lunch and drink.
Potential donors can make an appointment to donate blood with the Tourists by going to thebloodconnection.org/tourists. Whole blood donors are eligible every 56 days and will be eligible to donate at each blood drive if they are healthy and well. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.