Total Units Collected at Heinlein Society Blood Drives as of January 2010: 7,206

A report on the most successful SF convention Blood Drive ever!

"Pay It Forward"

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The Heinlein Society created the Blood Drive section to continue to promote a cause that was of great importance to Mr. Heinlein.

Heinlein readers will recall that the National Rare Blood Club was an integral part of his novel I WILL FEAR NO EVIL and, in an appendix to the novel, he informed his readers that the organization he had written about actually existed and deserved their support. Mr. Heinlein traveled extensively to promote this important cause and frequently donated himself. 

Some of you may be familiar with Spider Robinson's article "Rah, RAH, RAH" (in REQUIEM, NEW COLLECTED WORKS BY ROBERT A. HEINLEIN, ETC., Yoji Kondo, ed. Tor, 1989) wherein he states that we, as Heinlein fans (to paraphrase) cannot pay our debt to Heinlein back, so we must "pay it forward" instead. One way to "pay it forward," Robinson suggested, was to donate blood. 

THE INTERNET HONOR ROLL DRIVE

Starting in 1998, members of the Internet Robert A. Heinlein Reading Group, some of whom helped form and many of whom later joined The Society, have held an "Internet" blood drive to commemorate and observe Heinlein's birthday, July 7th. Each participant donates to a blood bank of their choice in their own community, making it an international event. Some participants, unable to donate blood for various medical reasons, donate their time at a blood drive instead; some donate plasma, some register as marrow donors; and other imaginative in lieu services have qualified, e.g., one year a retired Marine NCO, medically unable to donate himself, loaded a station wagon with friends he knew were eligible to donate and surprised them when he pulled up to a bloodmobile unit and told them, in the manner hallowed by all Sergeants everywhere, what they about to do there. All these year-long donations are reported. Other groups and individuals, off and on the Internet, are invited to participate too, and do. This response is gratifying, and each year on July 7th the names of the participants were proudly reported in his memory to the late Mrs. Virginia Heinlein with our thanks to her for her continued support of 'his children.'

The Heinlein Society has made this a permanent, or ongoing event, and continues to invite all to participate in this critically important effort. Life-saving blood is always in short supply, and a healthy person may donate every 56 days. According to the Red Cross, each blood donation can save up to three lives. It is a safe and quick procedure, usually taking no more than an hour of one's time.

You may view the Honor Roll Lists here

To Report on your own Honor Roll Donations, Click here.

If you've ever considered such a saintly deed as donating blood, PLEASE JOIN US. If you've ever enjoyed the Grand Master's work as we have, thank him by "paying it forward" in the way he would have appreciated the most. 

Donate blood in your community. Call your local hospital, Red Cross chapter, or other blood collection agency for information as to where and when. If you are unable to donate for medical (or other) reasons, donate your time to a local blood drive. If that isn't possible, choose another reasonable alternative as others have done before. Volunteers are always needed to help out.

Help your community

Do a good deed

Feel good about yourself

You can't lose!

You may also contact our Blood Drive Chair to specify any in lieu of blood donation service: The Blood Drive Chair

Before returning to our Home Page, you may wish to read about the second equally important component of our Blood Drives below

SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION BLOOD DRIVES

In 1976, only a few years after recovery from two years of extensive illnesses that prevented his final editing "cuts" of I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, Robert Heinlein put his own words into action. With the help of other science fiction devotees, including many well-known authors, he organized a blood drive at MidAmericon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention. It was the first of many such blood drives and was the start of a tradition.

Many local organizations have followed that worthy tradition and hold their own drives in memory of Robert A. Heinlein at local conventions. On Labor Day weekend in 2001 at the Millenium Philcon, the Heinlein Society took up the tradition by organizing our first convention blood drive. Despite being several blocks from the convention center we had an excellent turnout and collected over 60 units of blood. It was a tremendous success.

Since that time we have run dozens of convention blood drives—including most of the subsequent Worldcons—and assisted with a number of others, with many more to come. Our goal is to have a blood drive at every convention large enough to support one. Where there is no local organization, we will set the blood drive up. Where there is a local organization willing and able to organize the drive themselves, and there are many, we will offer our help.

If you'd like assistance in organizing any local blood drive in the memory of Robert A. Heinlein, contact: The Blood Drive Chair

We hope to see you all at an upcoming drive in your local community. Watch for us!

The Blood Drives Committee Sign up to donate at an upcoming convention