By the time you're done reading this sentence, two people will have a need for whole blood or blood components.

Dear friends, colleagues and anyone who gets this message,
My father, Kenneth Lawrence Shmarak, lost his battle with leukemia on June 5, 2005.  When he died at the young age of 70, a significant part of my life was torn away, and I have been searching for ways of filling that void so that I can move forward as much as I can.

Now that some time has passed, I have thought about how to honor my father's memory in a way that would best fit him.  Having a healthcare background, my father always felt that everything he did should help someone else while opening the eyes of other people who didn't know that problems even existed. 

It is with those and several other memories that I honor my father by initiating Drive 6.05.  As you may have derived, the numbers symbolize the month and year of his passing.  But this is not a regular blood drive in its simplest sense; this is not a one-time event.  This isn't even a request for money—we're letting someone else handle that, unless you choose to do it on your own. 

According to LifeSource—a nationally recognized group of blood centers-someone needs blood every 3 seconds.  Think about that; it is about as often as we take a full breath. 
Let's do some other math—with over 50 percent of Chicago's population eligible to donate blood, less than 3 percent do it.  And 90 percent of the nation's population will need to use blood at least once during their lives.  The need for blood doesn't take vacations or time off; it can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time.

Drive 6.05 is about giving people a choice; a chance to learn about something that might touch your life in one form or another and (if you so choose) provide ways for you to contribute to a solution. 

Drive 6.05 is about offering awareness to a situation that is more dire than one person losing his life to a disease that has stricken thousands before him. 

Above all else, Drive 6.05 is a way for all of us to do our part to help other people in a way that truly is so simple to do.

So how can you help Drive 6.05? 
Walk into any of the locations listed below and donate a pint of blood or any other component you can.  It is as simple as that!  For more information on how to donate click the links below.
LifeSource
American Red Cross
If you would like to know if you qualify for donating blood, click here.  To learn more about how important donating your blood or other components is please visit the Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network.

E-mail drive605@sidneymaxwell.com after you have made your donation. Sidney Maxwell Public Relations will donate $6.05 for every pint of blood from you, your friends or your family.

Of course, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society would welcome donations to complement Drive 6.05 efforts.  Click here for more information about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  All donations are tax-deductible.  
 
Should ANYONE have any questions about Drive 6.05, please call me at 312.587.7677 or e-mail me at michael.shmarak@sidneymaxwell.com. I would welcome the opportunity to address what I can.  Meanwhile, thanks for your help in keeping my father's spirit alive.

Sincerely,
Michael Shmarak