The Gillispie School in La Jolla hosted a blood drive and bake sale on Feb. 9 to benefit the San Diego Blood Bank, collecting 36 pints of blood and more than $2,300. The school’s annual blood drive began in 2010 after a former fourth grader suffered a relapse of the cancer she battled as a kindergartener. Her fifth-grade brother, a fellow Gillispie student, saved her life with his bone marrow. One donor gives blood in honor of her dad, who died of kidney and bone cancer in 2014. “We can all think of a relative, friend, coworker, or neighbor who has faced cancer or other life-changing illnesses or accidents” she said. “It’s difficult to know how to help. Words fall short, and while there’s often nothing tangible we can do to alleviate their pain, donating blood in honor of a loved one will directly impact the health and well-being of someone else who is suffering.” In the last seven years, the school has collected more than 250 pints of blood and more than $13,000 for the blood bank. Founded in 1950 with the support of the San Diego County Medical Society, San Diego Blood Bank is an independent nonprofit that serves hospitals in San Diego, Orange, Imperial and Los Angeles counties with blood transfusion products and reference laboratory services. It operates six local donor centers and 10 bloodmobiles. Its cell therapy program provides life-saving stem cell transplants to patients worldwide. For more information, visit sandiegobloodbank.org or connect on Facebook and Twitter.