CINCINNATI, Ohio — Hoxworth Blood Center is turning November into a month of giving in southwest Ohio, thanking donors with a light-up Cincinnati Cyclones sweater hat, a bonus holiday apron and a Veterans Day tribute while it keeps local hospital shelves stocked. The center announced the campaign on November 2, saying donors at its Neighborhood Donor Centers and select mobile drives will receive the Cyclones hat throughout November, while supplies last, according to the University of Cincinnati.
Blood donors will also receive a WKRP Turkey Drop apron at Neighborhood Donor Centers only, a nod to Cincinnati’s famous fictional turkey drop just in time for holiday baking, Hoxworth said in the University of Cincinnati announcement. “Blood donation is one of the most meaningful ways to give back to our community, especially during the holiday season,” Hoxworth Blood Center director David Oh, MD, said in the University of Cincinnati announcement. “While many of us are celebrating with family and friends, local patients are counting on blood donors every day.”
Veterans are at the center of the campaign next week. In recognition of Veterans Day, Hoxworth will offer special themed T-shirts to donors on November 10 and 11 at its Neighborhood Donor Centers, while supplies last, according to the University of Cincinnati. The shirts honor the men and women who have served the country, Hoxworth said, while celebrating donors who continue to serve their community by giving blood.
Donors can also turn a November donation into a Thanksgiving morning run. Anyone who donates blood between November 1 and November 23 will receive a 25 percent discount code for Thanksgiving Day Race registration, Hoxworth said in the University of Cincinnati announcement. Donors receive the code by email after donating and can use it for any distance in the iconic Cincinnati race.
The need behind the gifts is year-round and local. Hoxworth is the sole blood provider for more than 30 hospitals in 18 counties across southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana, according to the University of Cincinnati. Donations support patients who need transfusions during emergencies, surgeries, cancer treatments and other medical procedures, and Hoxworth noted that the need for blood does not take a holiday.
The center behind the drive has served the region for generations. Founded in 1938, Hoxworth Blood Center at the University of Cincinnati collects more than 100,000 units of blood annually through its seven Neighborhood Donor Centers and community mobile blood drives, according to the University of Cincinnati.
What happens next is a busy three weeks. The hat and apron are available through November while supplies last, the Veterans Day shirts are offered only on November 10 and 11, and the race discount runs for donations through November 23. To schedule a donation, Hoxworth directs donors to hoxworth.org, to call 513-451-0910, or to download the Hoxworth Blood Center app, according to the University of Cincinnati.