Blood Assurance is honoring Tennessee icon Dolly Parton with a special “9 to 5” blood donation promotion Friday, Sept. 25.

Donors who give blood at a Blood Assurance donation center or mobile blood drive on Sept. 25 will receive an exclusive, one-day-only T-shirt while supplies last.

The shirt features a quote from Parton: “We can’t save the world, but we can save the world we’re living in.”

Parton shared those words during a 2020 interview while encouraging people to focus on kindness, goodwill, and making a difference in their own communities. Blood Assurance hopes Parton’s message will inspire donors to turn goodwill into action by giving blood and making an immediate difference for local patients. Blood Assurance is a nonprofit and the primary supplier of blood and blood products for most of the hospitals in Middle Tennessee, including both Level I trauma centers. Donations made through Blood Assurance help save lives right here at home.

Blood Assurance now needs more than 600 donors every day to meet the needs of its partnering hospitals. Donors of all blood types are encouraged to participate.

Appointments are encouraged but not required. To schedule a donation, visit bloodassurance.org/schedule, call 800-962-0628, or text BAGIVE to 999777.

Donor eligibility: Donors must be at least 17 years old, or 16 with parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good health. Donors should eat an iron-rich meal, drink plenty of fluids, avoid caffeine before donating, and bring a photo ID.

Tullahoma residents can schedule an appointment at the Blood Assurance at 604 N. Jackson St. near Walgreens by calling 931- 461-5773. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

About Blood Assurance

Blood Assurance is a nonprofit, full-service regional blood center serving more than 70 healthcare facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Founded in 1972 as a joint effort of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, the Chattanooga Area Hospital Council, and the Chattanooga Jaycees, Blood Assurance’s mission is to provide a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood components to every area patient in need.