To the editor:

This letter is in regard to the article concerning this week’s American Red Cross blood drive at the First Christian Church. While the American Red Cross is an extremely recognizable and well-respected organization, there exist a number of important facts of which residents of Lawrence and surrounding communities may be unaware.

The American Red Cross does not provide blood to Lawrence Memorial Hospital or to 70 other hospitals in northeast Kansas or northwest Missouri. However, over 99 percent of blood collected through the Community Blood Center, a local nonprofit organization, stays within the community. Therefore, in order for area hospitals to have adequate blood supplies and to save the lives of local patients, residents must recognize the importance of donating blood at the Community Blood Center.

Cassie Weatherwax,

Lawrence