CORNELIA — A little friendly rivalry between Cornelia and Clarkesville could help save lives when the two cities go head-to-head in a blood donation competition next week.
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers will hold simultaneous blood drives at Cornelia City Hall and Clarkesville City Hall from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. The city that attracts the most donors will walk away with bragging rights.
Jonathan Mark with LifeSouth’s Greater Atlanta District said the competition is intended to add some hometown pride to the blood drive while drawing attention to the continuing need for blood donations.
“We’re just trying to shake it up a little,” Mark said. “Hopefully, we can bring some more people out and save some more lives.”
Mark said the supply of donated blood and the demand from hospitals are constantly running close together, making a steady stream of donors essential.
“The need for blood and the supply of blood are always neck and neck,” he said.
Cornelia vs. Clarkesville
The rules of the competition are simple: whichever city draws the most donors wins.
Cornelia’s blood drive will be held at Cornelia City Hall, 181 Larkin St., while Clarkesville’s will take place at Clarkesville City Hall, 123 Laurel Drive.
And despite Cornelia having the larger population, Clarkesville won’t be getting a handicap.
Mark laughed when asked whether Clarkesville donors should count twice to even the odds.
“Unfortunately not,” he said. “We’ll just see who can drive more donors.”
Mark said Cornelia employees have turned out in large numbers for previous LifeSouth blood drives. He hopes Clarkesville will rally its own employees and residents, with its position as the county seat potentially helping attract county employees as well.
For now, the prize is simply bragging rights. There isn’t even a trophy — yet.
Mark said if the competition is successful, he’d like to see it return annually or perhaps twice a year. A traveling trophy could eventually become part of the rivalry, giving the winning city something to display until the next showdown.
Donations support a continuing need
LifeSouth is an independent nonprofit community blood center and is not affiliated with the American Red Cross. The organization began in Florida more than 50 years ago and has since expanded into portions of Georgia and Alabama.
Mark has worked for LifeSouth for nearly three years after spending more than a decade in health care. He said the opportunity to help people attracted him to the job.
“I thought, this might be kind of interesting, helping people out,” Mark said. “It really is. I enjoy what I do a lot.”
LifeSouth’s Greater Atlanta District has expanded during his time with the organization, and LifeSouth serves as a primary blood supplier for Wellstar hospitals, Mark said.
Only a small percentage of Americans donate blood, according to Mark, making those who regularly roll up their sleeves especially important.
While some blood types are more common than others and certain types are particularly valuable in emergencies, Thursday’s competition isn’t about finding one particular type of donor. It’s about getting as many eligible people as possible through the doors.
Donors receive a T-shirt
The Oct. 1 drive is being held as part of LifeSouth’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, carrying the message “Together, We Save Lives.”
All donors will receive a breast cancer awareness T-shirt. According to the event flyer, platelet and double red cell donors will receive a $40 e-gift card in addition to the T-shirt.
Appointments can be scheduled in advance using the QR codes provided by LifeSouth for each city’s blood drive.
Whether Cornelia or Clarkesville ultimately claims the bragging rights, Mark said the real victory will be measured in the number of people willing to donate.
And if a little city rivalry brings a few more of them through the door, that’s exactly the point.
