Pictured are Cheri Cunningham, far left, and Kelly Thorn in the foreground at the Blood Bank of the Redwoods' blood drive at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – On March 9, Umpqua Bank in Lakeport hosted a blood drive in honor of Karen Nelson’s battle against cancer.

Blood Bank of the Redwoods utilized rooms made available to them by the bank to facilitate the drive.

The Blood Bank needed 25 donors to make their trip cost efficient, but the community overwhelmed them with 55 donors in all.

A special thanks to Lynn Brookes for coordinating the drive, John Norcio at McDonald's in Lakeport for supplying the cookies for the donors, Elva Hohn for acting as hostess during the event, and of course all of the donors.

Once again, the giving spirit is very evident in Lake County!