Kelly Robinson is a teenager on a mission to make a difference. At her eighth-grade graduation, she received a peer-nominated award for outstanding character, given annually in honor of a former student who passed away after battling leukemia. Now, it’s her calling to do whatever she can to support kids fighting cancer.

Not long after Kelly graduated from junior high, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing many places to cancel blood drives. That didn’t sit well with her, so even though she was too young to donate blood herself, she organized her first blood drive to help ensure cancer patients would receive the blood transfusions they needed to stay strong.

Since then, Kelly has helped organize no fewer than 11 blood drives, collecting a total of 389 units of blood. Her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed: she recently earned an award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma, which encouraged her to raise $50,000 for cancer research; and is an inductee into the Fresenius Kabi 2024 Blood Donor Hall of Fame.

Versiti Blood Center of Illinois is proud to welcome Kelly to our Community Advisory Board. The first teen member ever, Kelly is already making her mark, giving a presentation to 125 Versiti leaders on better ways to improve student participation at high school blood drives.

And, after hosting so many blood drives, Kelly finally turned 16 and was able to start donating blood herself. “I’ve been able to donate blood four times now,” she says. “Each time, I’m reminded how lucky I am to have healthy friends and siblings.”

People need people, make a difference in someone’s life by donating blood.

We must rely on each other for the gift of blood, and patients in your community rely on the generosity of Versiti’s blood donors to help. Please consider scheduling an appointment to donate. If this is your first time, donating blood is quick, easy and relatively painless. And, it is a great way to give back and help patients in your community.