GODFREY - Givin’ It All For Guts, a local nonprofit organization that helps fund Crohn's Disease, Colitis, and IBD illness research at Washington University in St. Louis, is hosting a Blood Drive from 2 to 6 p.m. this Wednesday, August 31, in the gym of St. Ambrose Catholic Church & School, located at 820 W. Homer M. Adams Parkway in Godfrey.
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Masks and appointments are required - to schedule an appointment, call Ashleigh Schroeder at (618) 531-1812 or go online to bloodcenter.org/group and enter the Sponsor Code: 10154.
Angela Richards, president of Givin' It All For Guts, said the region has been dealing with a blood shortage for almost two years now. She said this blood drive is a way to help both the patients their organization focuses on and the surrounding community.
“During the pandemic, we saw a need for blood and thought that is one way we can help the community,” Richards said. “Believe it or not, a lot of Crohn’s and Colitis patients, they get treatment at infusion centers and they also - during surgeries and things - require blood as well. So it’s kind of a two-fold thing: we’re helping the community with the blood shortage, but also thrown in there, there might be some Crohn’s and Colitis patients benefitting as well.”
The nonprofit works with the Washington University IBD Program Director Dr. Matthew Ciorba and his research team and has “donated over $47,000 to date,” helping the team secure grants and further ground-breaking research. But Richards said the organization is involved in many other ways around the community, and gives much more than just money.
“The goal for this blood drive is to help others - part of our mission statement is, ‘compassion and helping others,’ so we want to do that - and we also want to raise awareness to our organization,” Richards said. “We do also supply to local infusion centers, like the Alton Memorial Cancer Center and then the OSF Cancer Center. We do supply care bags, because like I said, a lot of Crohn’s and Colitis patients get infusions at those centers as well.”
Richards said Givin’ It All For Guts is hosting another blood drive in September, which more information will be made available about on their Facebook page. To find out more about Givin’ It All For Guts and the work they do, visit their website at givinitallforguts.org.
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