VIENNA — The Vienna United Methodist Church (VUMC), under the leadership of Pastor Lynn Facemyer hosted another successful Red Cross Blood Drive on Nov. 24, continuing a 12-year effort that has provided critical blood supplies to hospitals while giving local residents a convenient way to donate close to home.

The blood drive is coordinated by Debby Adkins, who began helping organize the event in 2013. Adkins said her involvement started after seeing how vital donated blood can be for families and friends.

“I decided to help because I have known people in my family and my friends and even people in the community that need blood, that need fusions,” Adkins said. “ It’s something I felt I needed to do.”

The church partners with the American Red Cross to host blood drives six times each year, occurring every other month, Adkins said. During the November drive, 29 donors were present to give blood, resulting in 27 usable units collected. Of those, 22 were whole blood donations and three were power red donations, which produced an additional five units.

Adkins said not every donation can be used due to health standards required for safety.

“Someone’s iron count may have been low or if there are complications during the blood draw, we can’t use it,” she said. “Some donations are called power red, for those you have to be a certain height and weight and usually want O negative or O positive blood. You get more out of those draws.”

Adkins shared there was one first-time donor, a 16-year-old with written permission from her guardians. Adkins said the young donor had a positive experience.

“She did very well for her first time,” Adkins said.

Following each donation, volunteers provided refreshments to donors.

“We have a full canteen where we give cookies, cakes, juices and treats to patients,” Adkins said.

The blood drive takes approximately one hour of setup time before donors begin arriving and donation hours typically run from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., according to Adkins.

Adkins also said one of the primary goals of hosting the blood drives locally at the church is to reduce the burden of travel for donors while still supporting a regional need. Keeping the drives in Vienna allows residents to give back without having to leave the community.

The next Vienna United Methodist Church blood drive is scheduled for Jan. 19., which is a Monday.

In addition to its ongoing blood drive campaign, the church has announced several upcoming December events open to the public.

The Vienna Christmas Program will be held at 10:30 a.m., Dec. 14, at the VUMC.

The monthly Community Table, a free meal available to all community members, will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 16, in the basement of VUMC.

A Longest Night Service, designed for individuals and families who are grieving during the holiday season, will be held at 5 p.m. on Dec. 21, More detail will be provided in next week’s edition of The Advocate

Christmas Eve services will be held at both churches. At 5 p.m., Rader United Methodist Church will have a service, followed by a 7 p.m. service at the Vienna United Methodist Church.