FSI Team Participates in Dallas Dash 5K to Benefit River of Life

Just show us a good cause and the team from FSI is off and running again! FSI sponsored a team of 30 runners for the 2010 Dallas Dash 5K on June 12, 2010 to benefit Dallas First United Methodist Church’s River of Life Mission Project. River of Life, held every July, hosts 120 youth and over 150 adult volunteers who divide into teams to work on various construction projects in the community. Building wheelchair ramps, roofing, painting, and other household projects for the elderly and financially disadvantaged families gives River of Life participants a hands-on way to contribute to those in need. River of Life changes the world one shingle, 2x4, hammer, nail, blister, deck post, sunburn and prayer at a time!

There were individual award winners among the FSI team as well as special recognition during the awards ceremony for FSI having the largest team participating. Thanks to all who spent their morning giving, it will go a long way in helping others…and isn’t that really what it’s all about?

If you’re going to do something nice for others, maybe something that might hurt “just a little”, then why not do it together amongst friends, right? FSI recently made another group visit to donate blood at the local Red Cross donation center. It’s becoming quite a routine for FSI employees to do their part of giving back to the community by donating together. Your body can donate every 56 days, so we make it a point to schedule our next appointment as close to that 56 days as possible. Did you know that (from www.redcrossblood.org):

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. (2006).
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
• Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of whom are African American.
Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
• More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

Pictured above are FSI’s Betty Stringer, Beth Williams, Forrest Marbutt and Graylin Crawford. Also, pictured is Forrest’s 4 gallon pin he recently earned. That’s a minimum of 32 donations, or at least 5 years worth of routine donating every 56 days! Come join us for our next donation, or make an appointment for yourself today at www.redcrossblood.org.