Thursday 12-18-14 was the bi-annual Julie Ball memorial blood drive at Raytown Lodge 391. We have helped with this blood drive for several years now. It is held in honor of Dr. Julie Ball, who is the daughter of WB Gary Ball. Julie lost her battle with cancer several years ago. I was honored to have met her a few times before she passed away. Besides her laughter and humor, I remember her smile and bright eyes. Julie was a huge supporter of the Community Blood Bank and these blood drives are held in her honor. This year started out very “iffy”. The day started out with snow on the ground and just a little more falling. Julie started to smile on us all and the day warmed up enough, the ground did not get below freezing and by 11:00 the roads and parking lots were clear and easy to drive on. The blood drive would continue as planned. We were able to collect 22 units of donated blood Thursday. While we always wish for more donations, that is 22 people in need of donations that can be helped. That is 22 units of blood more than what was on hand when we woke up Thursday morning. Many thanks to the Community Blood Center and WB Gary Ball for keeping the memory and legacy of Julie alive! Raytown Lodge #391 looks forward to many more successful blood drives in Julie’s memory.