“Give here, help here,”

The mantra of Marsh Regional Blood Center echoes loud and clear all year long, but the Christmas season adds a special bit of intrigue with the organization hosting their third annual “Teddy Bears for Tykes” initiative, underway now in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
“We just thought it was the right thing to do,” Ray Bell, donor operations manager for Marsh, said. “We want to be involved with scholarship opportunities, working with our nonprofit partners and doing this event. We have approximately 300 bears that we plan to give to children we service in hospitals, including Sycamore Shoals and Niswonger.”
Marsh Regional Blood Center has been the largest hometown supplier of blood and blood products in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia for over 60 years. The hospital is the blood supplier for over 15 hospitals in the region. During this time of the year, Marsh expects to have over 200 children spending the night in pediatric departments.
This time of the year proves to be crucial for accepting donations, Bell added. With schools closing in for Christmas break, the manager said high school students make up 18 percent of donations taking in from Marsh.
The organization offers blood drives at 36 high schools and 10 colleges in Tennessee and Virginia.
“We feel it is important to give back to the schools and students that support our endeavors to save lives in our community,” Bell added.
“Teddy Bears for Tykes” is currently underway and will conclude on Friday, Dec. 23.
Thursday, Dec. 15 at Sycamore Shoals Hospital. The event will be held from noon to 5:30 p.m. in the organization’s white Blood Mobile, parked near the facility’s same-day surgery entrance.
The second drive is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16 at Ivy Hall Nursing Home on South Watauga Avenue from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
For more information on drives throughout the region, donation locations or to schedule an appointment, visit Marsh’s website at marshblood.com or call (423) 408-7500.