Blood drives Friday for Cady Day of Service

DES MOINES, Iowa — You can donate blood Friday as part of the Cady Day of Service.

The day is dedicated to honoring the late Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady. It celebrates his commitment to public service and civil rights during his career as a public servant — which spanned 37 years. Cady died in November 2019 at the age of 66.

The Iowa Court of Appeals, Iowa State Bar Association, and Drake Law School have partnered with LifeServe Blood Center to hold blood drives.

The impact blood drives like these have on people is one felt within the judicial community. Molly Rawls shared her story of needing blood products after experiencing a medical emergency. Rawls, who is the Executive Assistant for Chief Justice Bowers, said “I had two aortic aneurysms burst unexpectedly and required a lot of blood. I received 28 units of blood and 50 units of blood product over two days and three surgeries. Donors saved my life.”

Last year’s event registered nearly 90 donors and they hope to break that record this year.

The blood drives on Friday in Des Moines:

• Iowa State Bar Association, 625 E. Court Ave., CLE Room from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Drake Law School-West Commons Cartwright Hall, 2621 Carpenter Ave. from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

You can also visit LifeServeBloodCenter.org to make an appointment to donate.