Tom Bartley had been donating blood with the Red Cross for 21 years when his brother was seriously injured in an accident. Standing in the hospital, watching his brother receive blood, Tom remembers thinking, “Thank God someone came in and donated.”

 More than two decades later, Tom is still giving.During this time, the process has become an enjoyable challenge.. “Eventually, it became a goal. I hit my first gallon, and then before you knew it, I was trying to get to 10 gallons,” Tom says. Today, he has donated 29 gallons and is working toward his 30th.

An Evansville native, Tom is a retired business owner, a proud father and grandfather, and husband to Patti, his wife of 52 years. He is driven by his faith, his family, his community, and by a simple philosophy: “In life you can be a giver or a taker. I decided that I preferred being a giver.”

Tom has received a pin for every gallon he has donated. A woodworker, he built a plaque to hold them all and keeps it above his desk as a reminder.

Giving blood is not the only way Tom gives back. He also visits hospice patients, something he began when an old friend from Marine Corps boot camp, now a chaplain, invited him to spend time with patients. Tom enjoys the work despite the loss that comes with it. In one case, he spent one day a week with the same patient for a period of two years.. “You develop pretty good friendships doing this,” he says. The experience reflects the same philosophy that has guided his decades of blood donation: choosing to be a giver.

To learn more about blood donation and schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org.

Written by Communications Volunteer, Josiah Johnson.