Several dozen people, including Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-2nd), donated blood at the Irwin Center in Homewood on Monday, Jan. 20. The Chi Lambda Lambda chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Lambda Tau Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority organized the blood drive for Martin Luther King Day in collaboration with Versiti Blood Center of Illinois.
This was the fifth annual MLK Day blood drive at the Irwin Center. Omega Psi Phi and Alpha Kappa Alpha are a part of the Divine Nine, a group of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities.
Before giving blood, donors provided their medical information in small enclosed booths with the Versiti logo and the slogan “beacon of hope.” This included but wasn’t limited to answering questions like whether or not they’ve had tattoos or vaccinations, are pregnant or take medications.

While donating blood, participants relaxed on cots as the machine extracted their blood. Afterward, they sat in a designated area nearby where fraternity and sorority members provided them with water, juice and snacks such as donuts, chips and pretzels.
Event organizers and attendees wore shirts representing their respective fraternities and sororities. They caught up and enjoyed each other’s company. Some said “Happy service day” when they greeted each other by hugging or shaking hands.
“They’ve got the music pumping. They’ve got all the snacks you can think of. They really do a good job of taking care of the donors to make sure they’re back up on their feet and able to get on with their day,” Nelson said.
Nelson said she gives blood twice annually – at this event and another blood drive organized by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity at Parker Junior High.
Kelly said this was her third or fourth time donating blood at the annual drive.
“When you donate blood, it helps more than one person. And it’s so important to donate blood. And I’m type O, so I’m the universal donor. So, my blood is really important,” Kelly said. “If everyone did something little, even if it were once a year, it would make a big difference in this world.”
“It’s an opportunity to give back – and what other way to give back than to give life? Possibly saving someone’s life,” Omega Psi Phi Fraternity member Merlin Newirk said, explaining why he was donating blood. “It’s something I enjoy doing – giving back to the community and helping in any way possible.”
“This is one of the larger blood drives in the Chicagoland area. The average collection is about 80 donations,” Versiti Blood Center of Illinois account representative Lawrence Smith said. “What drew me to Versiti was their local focus. I know that my work supports local patients – all the patients at our 86 hospitals.”