HOISINGTON —A commemorative blood drive will be held in honor of Nancy Farmer, long-time coordinator of the Hoisington Community Blood Drive on Monday, from 2:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hoisington Activity Center, 1200 Susank Road. All presenting donors will receive a Rock ’n Roll Up Your Sleeve T-shirt.

For the past seven years, Farmer has coordinated the Hoisington Community Blood Drive for the American Red Cross Blood Services. Prior to this, she served as blood drive coordinator when she worked at Clara Barton Hospital as well as during her time with the Arizona State Retirement System — a total of 19 years as a blood drive coordinator.

After retiring from the hospital in 2004, Farmer took on the job of coordinating the Hoisington drive. Not a small task, since in 2010 alone the community supported six drives that raised almost 400 pints of blood. This blood may have helped save up to 1,200 hospital patients across Kansas and Northern Oklahoma.

"I was raised here in Hoisington," said Farmer. "I guess that has made me good at finding volunteers." She said her secret to success was watching who was retiring in the community and then recruiting them to help her at blood drives.

Farmer is "retiring" from coordinating the drives for health reasons, but is hopeful a new coordinator will come forward to take her place. "Wilma recruits volunteers to help with refreshments, but it has been my job to find people who can help with setup, teardown and registration," said Farmer. "I truly have enjoyed being around all the volunteers and donors that come out for each blood drive."

"Nancy has been a great blood drive coordinator for so many years," said Lindsey Zogleman, Donor Resource Representative. "I know she will be greatly missed by donors, volunteers and our staff."

How to Donate Blood:

Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or log on to www.redcrossblood.org for more information or to schedule a blood donation appointment. All blood types are needed to ensure the Red Cross maintains an adequate blood supply. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Donors must be in general good health, weigh at least 110 pounds and be at least 17 years old (16 with completed Parental Consent Form). New height and weight restrictions apply to donors younger than 19.