Hoxworth Blood Center partnering with National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for annual MLK Day Blood Drive

Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati is joining the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day blood drive with support from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Be The Match.

The blood drive will take place at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center located at 50 East Freedom Way in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All donors will receive a free “I Have a Dream” T-shirt.

Be The Match, an organization dedicated to providing unrelated marrow and stem cell donors to patients needing a life-saving donor match, will be on-site registering individuals for the bone marrow registry and providing information.

“We are extremely proud to have the opportunity to partner with these organizations for another year to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Alecia Lipton, spokesperson for Hoxworth Blood Center. “Hosting a blood drive in Dr. King’s honor is a perfect way to celebrate his values by taking time to give back to others in our community.” 

If you are unable to make this blood drive, Hoxworth will be hosting an MLK Blood Drive Week at all Hoxworth Donor Centers from Friday, Jan. 17 through Friday, Jan. 24. Donate blood, platelets or plasma at any one of seven donor centers during the week-long promotion and receive a free “I Have a Dream” T-shirt!

Appointments for blood donation are strongly encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Donors can schedule appointments by calling (513) 451-0910 or by scheduling online at www.hoxworth.org/groups/mlk.

Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati was founded in 1938 and serves over 30 hospitals and medical facilities in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.  Hoxworth collects blood from local donors to help save the lives of patients in area hospitals. Hoxworth Blood Center.  All Types Welcome.

Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first African American, inter-collegiate Greek-lettered fraternity founded on Dec. 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The fraternity has over 290,000 members and has been open to men of all races since 1940. Currently, there are more than 730 active chapters in the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia.   Alpha addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing and other economic, cultural and political issues of interest to people of color. It also conducts philanthropic programming initiatives with March of Dimes, Head Start, Boy Scouts of America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Phi Psi Omega Chapter was chartered in 2002 in Forest Park, Ohio and has established herself as a vital part of the community through numerous service projects and offering thousands of dollars worth of scholarships to deserving Cincinnati-area students.  Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908.  It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African-American college-educated women.  Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of more than 290,000 members in 1,007 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Liberia, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Japan, Canada, South Africa and in the Middle East.