Rep. Natalie Manley Exceeds Blood Drive Goal at Annual International Women’s Day Blood Drive

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, would like to thank all of the donors who helped her annual blood drive exceed its goals. Every year in honor of International Women’s Day, March 8, Manley hosts a blood drive with a target goal of 30 donations.

This year, there were a total of 34 successful donations, which impacted up to 102 lives, according to the American Red Cross.

This year, Rep. Manley partnered with the National Hook-Up of Black Women (NHBW) Joliet Chapter in an effort to reach donors from diverse ethnicities to address the urgent need for compatible matches.

According to the American Red Cross, the best blood type match for patients with rare blood types often comes from donors of the same race or similar ethnicity.

“Another goal of this year’s drive was to raise awareness about the importance of matching blood types across diverse ethnicities,” Rep. Manley said. “Through our partnership with both the NHBW and the American Red Cross, we had multiple diverse donors, and several first-time donors. What a wonderful way to celebrate International Women’s Day.”