Only with you.

This phrase represents much more than our current campaign theme.  It reflects the absolute truth about every community blood center in this country: we can only fulfill our mission with generous and altruistic blood donors like you.

This year, Kentucky Blood Center celebrates its 40^th anniversary of saving lives.  We were founded in 1968 as the Central Kentucky Blood Center.  Our recent name change (we dropped the word Central) reflects more accurately the scope of our organization, as we collect, test, process and ship blood throughout the state.

Our mission of saving lives becomes more critical and essential every day.  As communities grow and medical treatments become widely available, a continuous and safe blood supply is paramount.  Organ transplants, cancer therapies and traumas require that we have robust supplies of blood products always available.  We not only view this as our mission, it is our duty.

As we plan and begin our 41^st year of service to Kentucky residents, we will aggressively be promoting changes in our organization that are consistent with providing this vital, continuous blood supply.  One example of change is that we now accept 16-year-old blood donors with parental permission.  We are excited about the opportunity to introduce blood donation to this new generation of young donors.

Kentucky Blood Center will achieve great things this year, but only with you.

William S. Reed, O+

President & CEO