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Charles Drew Award
Nolan Leake
Monday, June 04, 2007 — Nolan Leake began giving blood on a regular basis in 1976, 12 years after becoming a Red Cross water safety instructor. For the past three years he's been giving much more than just blood—making phone calls, writing letters, and cultivating relationships with Atlanta's philanthropic community.
As chairman of Biomedical Services for the Southern Blood Region's Strategic Capital Investment Plan, Mr. Leake has helped raise more than $7.5 million to build a new state-of-the-art blood processing facility in Douglasville, Georgia. He has worked tirelessly to ensure the campaign's success, following in the footsteps of his father, a longtime Red Cross supporter.
"There are very few things you can actually do to save a life. One of them is giving blood," he said.
Mr. Leake, who has served on the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter's Board of Directors since 1996, was honored for his contributions to Red Cross Blood Services with the Charles R. Drew Award. Dr. Drew supervised the pilot Red Cross blood banking program, which was established in 1941 at the request of the U.S. military. His groundbreaking research made it possible to store plasma for later use, thereby revolutionizing modern medicine.
The Red Cross was honored to have Dr. Drew's daughter, Charlene Drew Jarvis, attend the event.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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