By Mariwyn Evans, Red Cross volunteer

MURFREESBORO, Tenn., April 25, 2024 - “I’m 57 years old, and I still like to believe that people have good intentions,” says Kara Greer, a mother of six, grandmother of three, marathon runner, and cyber security expert from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “If you spread the word to enough people, they will take action.”

Greer begin spreading the word at 15-years-old, when the then class president of McClure North High School in St. Louis, MO organized her first blood drive for the students. “My mother was a professor of nursing at St. Louis Community College, and I volunteered as a Candy Striper at her clinical facility at County Hospital. I saw firsthand that there were people in great need,” says Greer. 

Why focus on donating blood? “Science can replicate some parts of blood, but there is still no identical replication for whole blood. That is why I continue to donate every 56 days,” explains Greer. These days, she often takes along a friend or two from her running club or her church to donate at the Red Cross facility in Murfreesboro. Greer also posts photos of every donation on her Facebook and Instagram feeds with #SaveaLife and #RedCross hashtags to encourage others to give.

Not every donation is so routine. While visiting relatives over Christmas, Greer drove 12 hours back to St. Louis to give blood to the three-day-old baby of a childhood friend. The newborn needed multiple transfusions during open heart surgery. “If I hadn’t been in the habit of giving blood, it might have seemed impossible, but to me it was just natural to donate,” she says. 

Decades later, Greer again jumped into action when a fellow employee at Schneider Electric in Franklin, Tennessee, became gravely ill. Launched from the company’s website, the “Sleeves up for Steph” campaign produced 304 units of blood for the Red Cross. 

How did she get so many people—many first-time donors—to participate? “I try to lead by example,” she says. “You try to convince people and take the excuses away. I also offer to go with hesitant first-time donors and hold their hands. And I reminded them that at the end, you get to eat a cookie. What could be better than that!”

Greer has donated 240 pints of whole blood over the last 40 years and continues to donate. “If God has blessed you with good health and the ability to donate, whether to friends or random strangers, do it!” 

About the American Red Cross: 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. The American Red Cross Tennessee Region serves all 95 counties in Tennessee, Crittenden County in Arkansas and Desoto and Tunica counties in Mississippi. The Tennessee Region – part of a nationwide network of locally supported chapters - is comprised of the following eight Red Cross chapters: East Tennessee, Heart of Tennessee, Mid-South, Mid-West Tennessee, Nashville Area, Southeast Tennessee, Northeast Tennessee and Tennessee River. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.