Jacksonville, FL (July 26, 2018) – LifeSouth Community Blood Center opens up a new headquarters right in the middle of District 11 and Councilman Danny Becton took part in the celebration and ribbon cutting of the donor center.
The new LifeSouth location is located at 7840 Baymeadows Way within the Deerwood Center office park off Baymeadows Road or Phillips Highway.
The event took place on Thursday, July 26th. The ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off at 10 am and Councilman Becton was one of the four speakers to attend the event, including LifeSouth CEO, Nancy Eckert, Dr. Charles Moreland the Director of Community Affairs with the City of Jacksonville and Meg Hynes with JAX Chamber.
Eckert was the first to speak and expressed her gratitude for all the support LifeSouth has received from the Jacksonville community, hospital partners, board members and most importantly, the donors. Dr. Moreland followed congratulating Eckert on behalf of the Jacksonville Community.
Dr. Moreland introduced Councilman Becton who said he was excited for LifeSouth to join the District 11 community during his speech.
Council Member Becton’s remarks for the occasion are as follows:
“As the Council member for District 11, I would like to welcome everyone here this morning on this very special occasion. Today, we are here to congratulate and welcome LifeSouth on their expansion into Jacksonville and their decision to put their footprint right here in District 11.
The services that LifeSouth provides is vital to a growing and successful community. Jacksonville is on the rise and to have a consistent and reliable blood supply for our residents is very important.
This critical role that LifeSouth plays in the circle of life along with our first responders and our area hospitals keeps our residents safe and able to survive those events when the need for blood occurs. It is organizations like LifeSouth that are the unsung heroes that make this happen.
So, when you see those “Red-White-Blue” buses, please remember, as residents, we have our role to play and it is our contribution that make this happen as well.
On behalf of the entire Jacksonville City Council and the residents of District 11, I want to personally welcome LifeSouth to our neighborhood and wish you great success!”
The royal blue “Grand Opening” ribbon was rolled out after the speeches concluded, but the celebration did not stop after it was cut. Tours were held to see the new LifeSouth center as well as blood donations.
“Give Local, Save Local” is one of LifeSouth’s mottos and that’s exactly what Councilman Becton did when he donated a pint to his community during the event.
During an interview with Channel 4 New4Jax, Councilman Becton discussed how easy it is to donate and how he wants to help donate more regularly and to work with LifeSouth on future community blood drives.
“For all those residents like me, who have never donated blood, the process is too easy,” Councilman Becton stated. “These professionals here at LifeSouth make it welcoming, painless and safe, so that if you are apprehensive about doing something like this, believe me don’t be, I am sharing with you how easy it is to help save a life and directly benefit your community.”
Donors must be at least 17 or 16 with parental permission, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good health. A photo ID is also required. Donors can give whole blood every 56 days. Platelets can be donated every two weeks.
LifeSouth was founded in 1974. According to its website, the non-profit community blood bank serves more than 100 hospitals in across three states, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The Baymeadows Way Headquarters is now a part of the 30 donor centers LifeSouth operates. The nonprofit also has 45 blood mobiles and hosts nearly 2,000 blood drives a month.
Councilman Becton is very involved with his community and believes each constituent serves an important role in District 11. According to LifeSouth’s Jacksonville Location brochure, the organization also shares a similar perspective about the people in they serve.
Written in the brochure:
“LifeSouth likes to say community is its middle name. Its focus is on the community hospitals it serves. Local patients are the first priority for the blood its donors give. Blood given here stays here to help friends and family members.”
For more information about LifeSouth and how you can donate, Visit:
