'People Aren't Forgetting' | Fourth Wendi Winters Memorial Blood Drive Held In Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- A blood drive was held Saturday in honor of Wendi Winters, a journalist who lost her life in the Capital Gazette shooting.
Almost two years after her death, she's still managing to affect the lives of thousands of people.
Winters' daughter, Summer, was one of the hundreds of people who donated blood at the Wendi Winters Memorial Blood Drive.
"Every time it's just so amazing, the fact that people aren't forgetting," Summer said.
It was the fourth time the community gathered to give blood in memory of Winters, and they're looking to pass some milestones.
"At this drive, we are hoping to collect 250 units so that we have collected 1,000 units in four drives, which will potentially save 3,000 lives," Kimberly Moore, of the Red Cross, said.
The donations are coming from family, friends and even complete strangers.
"I just felt compelled to come up because I live in the community and I remember the day that happened over there," Greg Holcomb, a blood donor, said.
Winters used to organize blood drives at her church.
"We would do two a year, she was so serious about it," Summer said. "After 9/11, she felt like she needed to give back. So we're sort of giving back, about her giving back, so we're repaying it."
Winters' legacy lives on through the thousands of lives she's helped save.
"We always wonder, will this be the time where we have low donor numbers, and we're always worried," Summer said. "Then it's a really great surprise. Every time we just totally blow it out of the water, and we're always so grateful that the community is still so willing to do this."
The Red Cross said it is always in need of blood, but specifically, this time of year after a bad flu season and the holidays. If you would like to find out where you can donate, click here.
