Since arriving in Williamsburg, Virginia, I have been looking for an opportunity to donate blood again. It hasn't been an easy task. Williamsburg does not have a central blood donation site - only mobile blood drives that move around the city. Trying to find a blood drive that was both in my area and fit into my schedule was very difficult. I'd just about given up hope of donating blood while here in Virginia.

Then I read in the Busch Gardens' employee newsletter that a blood drive was being held right next door at the Anheuser-Busch owned Kingsmill Resort and Spa, and it was scheduled for my day off. Perfect!

This blood drive wasn't just any average blood drive. It was the 8th Annual Vince Campana Community Blood Drive, one of the largest blood drives on the East Coast.

From the press release:

Named in honor of Vince Campana, Sr., who died in 1993, this annual blood drive serves to honor the memory of a man who, even in death, continues to leave his mark on the Williamsburg community.

In 1998, then-17-year-old Ron Campana, Jr., a member of Boy Scout Troop 103, launched as his Eagle Scout project a memorial blood drive in honor of his grandfather. Having watched his father, Ron Campana, Sr., collect thousands of pints of blood in drives he's run since 1975, Ron, Jr. enlisted the help and support of his family and community groups such as the Boy Scouts and Kiwanis.

Each year since has seen an increase in the number of donor participants, from 40 in its first year to an amazing 730 in 2004. This year, the Campana family, Boy Scout Troop 103, dozens of sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers have their sights set on collecting over 1000 pints of blood.

I arrived on Day Two of this massive blood drive. The first day, over 500 people had donated blood. Red Cross nurses were bussed in from North Carolina to help with the hundreds of donors. The ballroom at Kingsmill was filled with dozens and dozens of portable blood donation chairs, each nurse attending to three donors at a time. It was a huge, huge event. And very heartwarming to see all of these people donating and giving of themselves selflessly.

There were rewards, though. Following the donation, there were burgers and hot dogs and sandwiches and drinks and ice cream. And each donor received a t-shirt.

The biggest reward for me was just knowing that my blood donation might help someone who desperately needed it. And this blood drive couldn't have come at a better time... with the disaster in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. One of the nurses told me she had no doubt that their blood supply would be depleted in no time. I may not have money or time to donate to the relief efforts, but I certainly have blood to give, and I will most definitely donate blood once again as soon as I am able.