ATLANTA—Holy Cross Church held its 10th annual Bob Buechner Blood Drive Saturday, Dec. 7. The initial visionary for the drive and its coordinator is Mark Kelly, but numerous volunteers and American Red Cross staff pitch in to make it happen.

“These amazing drives don’t happen without Katie Stilson, Holley Reynolds, Theresa Harris, Lupe Guyton, Ilsa Jackson, Sandra Permentz-Rodriguez, Rosa Ramos, Nancy Ramos and Karoline Brennan,” said Kelly. “They do the organizing and all of the hard ‘detail’ work behind the scenes.”

During the Dec. 7 Bob Buechner Blood Drive, an additional 212 units were collected, which brings the decade total to 3,226 units. According to the American Red Cross, one pint (unit) of blood can help save up to three lives. That translates to some 9,678 lives saved by the Holy Cross community.

Bob Buechner Sr., who died in 1998, was a longtime Holy Cross parishioner whose life revolved around his family and his faith. His 88-year-old widow, June, was on hand for the most recent drive.

“It’s an amazing remembrance of him,” said Buechner. “I can’t begin to thank all the people who come out to give blood.”