Clarksville, TN – Toni Munoz recently graduated with Rossview High School’s Class of 2025, and as she crossed the line to receive her diploma, one couldn’t help but notice that she wore several honor cords, which are symbolic of academic or extracurricular achievements and distinctions that students earn during their high school career.
One of those cords was the Cord of Courage, which she earned by donating blood with Blood Assurance. “We had a blood drive at Rossview. I saw the flyers, and I thought, why not,” Munoz said. “I was a little nervous at the beginning, but I like helping people and I plan to keep donating.”
Munoz has donated three or four times, now. “I’m really proud of myself,” She continued. “My family has a history of cancer. My grandfather died from lung cancer, and my grandmother had breast cancer. I really wanted to help people because I know about the anxiety, not just for patients but for their family members. It’s stressful, and you never know what’s going to happen.”
Munoz recognizes that a lot of young people are nervous because of a fear of needles, etc. “It’s just a short little needle prick, and then it’s all fine,” Munoz said. “There are lots of people encouraging you, and that really helps keep you calm. My family really encourages me and tells me that they are proud of me. I appreciate that support.”
Munoz’ graduation robe was covered with cords and pins. She lifted the Cord of Courage, explaining that donors receive the red Cord of Courage once they’ve donated a certain number of times. Donors get points for donating plasma or whole blood. The cord is awarded once they reach a certain number of points.
As she ended her interview with Brooke Katz, Blood Assurance’s Media Relations Coordinator, Munoz said, “I would say to anyone thinking about it, donate blood, donate plasma. It really helps. My name is Toni Munoz. I’m a Rossview graduate, and I earned my Cord of Courage.”
Katz was interviewing Munoz while she was donating blood at the Blood Assurance office on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. Afterward, she spoke about the company’s efforts to attract younger donors.
“We have so many regular donors,” Katz said. “We work with lots of high schools that have great programs that encourage a lot of students to donate. Our biggest source of donors is high schools. Part of that is by choice. It’s a captive audience, and it’s a good way for us to teach people about the importance of donation, early on in their lives. We hope they will carry that habit through when they go on to college, and move on into working adulthood.”
Blood Assurance is a regional company, serving Chattanooga, Nashville, and many locations in Tennessee. They also have offices in Georgia, western North Carolina, and Alabama.
“We do get a lot of older donors, which is why we are making such efforts to reach out to younger people,” Katz said. “To donate, you have to be at least 16 with parental consent, 17 without consent. One of our programs now goes into elementary schools, where we teach that blood is medicine, and how it helps people. The elementary schools host blood drives, and we get the students to sign up donors. We hope that this teaches them about the importance of donating, so when they are old enough they will want to donate.”
Voluntary blood donations took a hit during the pandemic, as numbers were down significantly, 60% in repeat donors, and 52% in first-time donors.
“Obviously, the schools wouldn’t let us in, but we are seeing those numbers rebound,” Katz said. “We did see more shortages during the pandemic. It has always been tough to get people to donate. Only about 3% of those eligible actually donate.
“People understand the importance, especially after a mass event – a shooting, or a tornado. At those times, we see people line up because they want to help. The thing is, in those moments, we already need the blood on the shelves. We need people at those times, but we need them all the time, so we can keep that stable supply. That way, when there is a disaster or something that requires a lot of blood, it’s there already.”
Katz says there is about a 24-hour turnaround, processing and getting donated blood out to the hospitals.
“People can find us at www.bloodassurance.org,” Katz said. “Phone numbers and other information about our donor center in Clarksville, and others located throughout middle Tennessee, are easy to find. We host blood drives throughout the area, and all businesses and organizations are invited to work with us to host a blood drive.
“We also offer incentive programs. Type O donors can sign up for our hero program. O negative is the universal donor. Most people in the U.S. are O positive, so those are our biggest needs. The Cord of Courage program is for our high school students. School is about academics, but it’s about life lessons. This program teaches them to be good stewards to the community, and that they can really make an impact.
“We do two drives a year for the students, and if they want to get extra points, they can come to our office. We only have one location in Clarksville, but we have around 40 in total. We also have mobile units. On any given day, we’re spread out across the state.”
Dory Munoz, Toni’s mother, watched the interview with a smile on her face, saying after, “I’m super proud of her. She came home and asked for permission, and I immediately said, Okay. She has always been this type of person, and seeing her grandmother go through so many health battles pushes her even more.”
Toni Munoz summed it up this way. “I’ve learned that there is a really strong community here. So many people helping and encouraging, pushing you to do better, and lifting you up. All these positive affirmations helped me push past the hard times and difficult moments. I will definitely keep donating. I just want to help people, especially those dealing with cancer.”
