Vitalant, formerly Lifeblood, relies on thousands of volunteers to donate blood, plasma, and platelets throughout the year to help patients in 4 Mid-South area hospitals.  Our awesome volunteers roll up their sleeves and selflessly give of themselves to save the lives of loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow church members, and yes, even perfect strangers.

Patients who need blood to receive life-saving treatments include those:

• Battling cancer
• Undergoing heart surgeries
• Tackling sickle cell disease
• Facing serious accidents/trauma
• Struggling as premature babies and even some new moms
• And many, many, more

We’re proud that through Vitalant, a non-profit 501c3, we serve those patients each and every day by ensuring there is a safe and sustainable blood supply ready when it’s needed.

These patients need blood that cannot be purchased at a store or manufactured in a plant.  Blood can only come from another person – a caring volunteer.

Donor Fest 2023

From June 14 – 24, 2023, Vitalant’s Donor Fest will consist of many mobile blood drives, as well as opportunities for donors to stop by one of our four Memphis-area donor centers. 

Donor Fest is also an opportunity for Vitalant-Memphis to thank our volunteers, both donors and blood drive coordinators, who make the time to donate blood, or lead blood drives.  We couldn’t do what we do without volunteers doing what they do – saving lives with each blood donation and each blood drive.

That’s why on June 24^th, we will have a celebration of donors at the Overton Park Shell during the Stax Music Academy’s Summer Music Experience Grand Finale Concert.  Bring your lawn chair, blanket, coolers, and friends for a fun night at the Shell.  And stop by the Vitalant Deck Party on the east side of the lawn to say hello.

The concert starts at 7:00 p.m., but we’ll have a Vitalant Donor Fest Blood Drive underway from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Our blood mobile will be parked at the top of the hill near the main entrance to the Shell.

Be a Volunteer Blood Donor

Won’t you please help?  It doesn’t matter if you’ve never donated, haven’t donated in a while, or are a regular donor.  As long as you meet donor criteria you can make a difference.  Students as young as 16 can donate with parental permission.  And it can take as little as an hour of your time to save a life.

Appointments or Walk-Ins

You wouldn’t believe how much it helps us when volunteers make appointments to donate blood.  So, if you can schedule your appointment, we’d really appreciate it.  At the same time, we recognize that circumstances are such that volunteers need the flexibility to walk in and donate.  We gladly take walk-ins subject to availability.  That applies to our mobile drives, as well as our four donor centers.

Check Out These Donation Opportunities and Follow These Simple Steps to Make an Appointment to Donate

1. Just follow this link 
2. Type in the Blood Drive Code and select “Blood Drive Code” as opposed to zip code for your preferred blood drive
3. Click to find locations
4. Click to see times to pick an appointment time
5. Schedule your appointment
6. Show up to donate and save lives

Want to donate at one of Vitalant’s Donation Centers? Click here to schedule an appointment at one of the center’s below and use the Blood Drive Code: DONORFEST. Each location has its own business hours.:

Thank You for Your Life Saving Gift!

The next time you’re reclining in one of our donation chairs, let yourself dream about what you would do with a $10,000 gift card. Maybe take that trip you’ve always wanted? Remodel a room in your house. Start your holiday shopping. Or, just use it to pay bills. You could make that dream a reality — while helping patients in need — by donating blood, platelets or plasma in June. In appreciation, Vitalant will thank all donors with a chance to win big!

All donors who come to give blood, platelets or plasma June 1-30, 2023, will be automatically entered into a drawing to win 1 of 2 $10,000 prepaid gift cards.  Those who donate during Donor Fest, June 14-24 will also receive an Exclusive Donor Fest Commemorative T-Shirt! Click here to learn more.

Vitalant Student Leadership Scholarship

Students may earn as much as a $1,000 scholarship this summer from June 1 – Aug. 31 by volunteering to host a virtual blood drive and encouraging people to give blood. This is a non-competitive scholarship program. Scholarships will be paid directly to the school, in the student’s name, at the end of the program. Students of any age who have completed high school and are planning to advance their education, and students who have received other Vitalant scholarships in the past, are eligible. To register and for the full list of guidelines, visit vitalant.org/scholarship.

Blood Donor Facts

• 1 donation saves up to 3 lives
• 1 in 7 people entering a hospital will need blood
• Every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood
• Only 1 out of 4 units of blood is donated locally
• Nationally, more than 30% of blood donations come from students under 20; locally, less than 15%
• Blood or plasma that comes from people who have been paid is not used for human transfusion. Instead, it’s made into pharmaceutical products.
• For more facts about donating blood, click here.

Vitalant Community Leadership Council (CLC)

The Memphis Vitalant Community Leadership Council (CLC) is a group of diverse community leaders who raise awareness for the daily need for volunteer blood donations and assist with expanding the base of volunteer blood donors.  Its intent is to play a vital role in the advancement of the community involvement in the blood program. 

Memphis Vitalant Community Leadership Council Members:

• Pastor James Kirkwood, Executive Director, Memphis Christian Pastor’s Network (2023 CLC Chair)
• Vickie Terry, Executive Director, NAACP Memphis Chapter (2022 CLC Chair)
• Cristie Upshaw Travis, Co-CEO, HealthCareTN (2021 CLC Chair)
• Shamikia Adams, Director of Events/Marketing, United Way of the Mid-South
• Chuck Blatteis, Attorney, The Blatteis Firm
• Bria Brown-Saulsberry, Youth Development Manager, Stax Music Academy
• Sherry Brown, Sickle Cell Disease Advocate
• Colin Burress, Deputy Director, Memphis Fire Department, City of Memphis
• Venus Chaney, CEO, Girl Scouts – Heart of the South
• Tiffany Crutchfield, Office of the Chief of Staff, Memphis Shelby County Schools
• Clint Cummins, CEO, Memphis Medical Society
• Venita Doggett, Director of Advocacy, Memphis Education Fund
• Steve Faulkner, Manager Supply Chain, BMHCC Corporate
• Penelope Huston, VP Marketing, Downtown Memphis Commission
• Joseph Kyles, Liaison, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
• Justin Lawhead, Dean of Students, University of Memphis
• Jonathan Lewis, Director of Community Partnerships, Methodist Lebonheur Healthcare
• Terrice May, Administrator, Population Health, Shelby County Health Department
• Rhonda Mayo, Chair, The Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland Donor (BALD) Council
• Patricia McKinney, Membership, Greater Memphis Chamber
• Charles Newell, Deputy Administrator, Shelby County Emergency Management/Homeland Security
• Victoria Ragland, Regional DEI Advisor, Pinnacle Financial Partners
• Marilynn Robinson, SVP Marketing, Saint Francis Hospital (Retired)
• Quintin Robinson, Chief of Human Resources, Memphis Shelby County Schools
• Dr. Charles Snyder, Associate Vice Chancellor, UTHSC
• Rory Thomas, CEO, Memphis Medical District Collaborative
• Paige Walkup, President, Caissa Public Strategies
• Brody Wamble, Community Affairs Officer, Simmons Bank
• Chris Wyatt, Managing Director, Direct Response Marketing, Ducks Unlimited
• Dorcas Young-Griffin, Director of Community Services, Shelby County Government

Patient Stories