Kelly Easton dedicates her time to the Illinois Red Cross through blood donations and helping organize blood drives. After a battle with cancer, she describes how she became motivated to give back to her community in any way that she could.
“Once I got the all clear, I began donating blood. Now every 56 days I’m donating,” Kelly proudly says.
Besides donating blood, Kelly is also raising awareness in her community about the importance of blood donation in Southern Illinois.
“I was emailing people in different communities trying to recruit people for blood donations. I was sending out emails to church leaders, village board members, presidents, anyone I could find really,” Kelly explains.
She also hopes that more people across Illinois will give some time to volunteering with the Red Cross, explaining that the time they give can be extremely valuable. “
Kelly’s reasoning for all her hard work is simple: “I guess I just like helping other people.”
To become a volunteer like Kelly, please visit redcross.org/volunteer. You can also make an appointment to donate blood at redcrossblood.org.
Written by Communications & Marketing Intern, Justin Wang
American Red Cross of Illinois 