Blood drive honoring former Virginia Sen. Ben Chafin scheduled for March 2-5

Marsh Regional Blood Center and First Bank & Trust are partnering together for a week long blood-drive event next week to honor the memory of former Virginia State Sen. Ben Chafin.

The Senator Chafin Memorial Blood Drive will take place March 2-5 from 9 a.m-5 p.m at First Bank & Trust locations across the region.

“Ben believed in all the people of Southwest Virginia, and his O-negative blood helped serve everyone,” said Lora Carr Chafin, Sen. Chafin’s wife. “We encourage all to give to help our neighbors.”

“The entire Ballad Health family was heartbroken to learn Sen. Chafin passed away from COVID-19 complications,” said Ballad Health Chairman and CEO Alan Levine. “Sen. Chafin was a kind and good man, and he was beloved in the Virginia Senate. He truly cared about people and had a kind way about how he advocated for the people he was entrusted to serve.

“There is no better way to honor his memory than by doing something that benefits everyone in the Appalachian Highlands – such as donating blood. Sen. Chafin’s memory will live on not only in the lives of the people he served in Southwest Virginia, but also by the countless people who will be helped and healed through these blood drives.”

A list of those locations can be found below:

*Tuesday, March 2 ● 359 W. Main St., Lebanon, Virginia
*Wednesday, March 3 ● 38 E. Valley Drive, Bristol, Virginia
*Thursday, March 4 ● 1185 N. State of Franklin Road, Johnson City
*Friday, March 5 ● 667 W. Main St., Abingdon, Virginia
*Friday, March 5 ● 18528 Lee Highway, Abingdon, Virginia

Sen. Chafin represented the 40th District in Southwest Virginia from 2014 until his passing from COVID-19 complications on Jan. 1.

Photo Courtesy: Marsh Regional Blood Center