SunTrust Bank believes in “seeing beyond money”. The corporation likes to build communities by building people. As part of its corporate culture, SunTrust embraces giving to the community and one of those ways includes holding blood drives.

While money flows in and out of SunTrust every day, Margaret Callihan, Chairman, President and CEO knows that money can’t buy everything. “Of all the things out there, donating blood is the one you can’t compensate with just money. It really does take your personal involvement. Blood is such a wonderful thing that we carry around all the time. We have the ability to save lives and it’s powerful,” says Mrs. Callihan.

Margaret and her husband, Matt, an algebra teacher at Sarasota Military Academy, are longtime blood donors. Matt knows what its like, not only to donate blood, but to recruit people to give. For a short time after college he worked at a blood center as a volunteer donor recruiter and today students at Sarasota Military Academy are among SCBB’s most loyal donors. For this couple, giving blood is in their blood and because of their example, their children now donate.

Veronica Brady, Senior Vice President explains that blood drives allow bank employees to build bonds and embrace teamwork. “It’s really a team building exercise. When you’re sitting there with a needle in your arm, everyone is equal,” says Ms. Brady. She has been a blood donor since she was a student at Venice High School. “You’re making a difference for people who very much need something that doesn’t cost anything to give. There’s no loss. No risk. I love when I get a phone call from the blood bank. You pay it forward when you donate blood.”

SunTrust encourages other businesses in the community to hold blood drives. “Give it a try. It saves lives with very little personal inconvenience,” Margaret adds.

Mike Slattery is a two gallon blood donor. He’s also a community minded guy who works with at-risk youth with behavioral issues through Youth Services International. He wants to make their lives better. He also wants to make society better—that’s why he believes in donating blood.

He started donating blood at the same age of some of the kids he works with—high school. He jokes that he initially donated blood as a teen to get out of class for an hour. As he’s become older, donating blood has become far more personal for him. He’s known a couple of individuals who needed transfusions. His mother is another reason he gives the maximum amount of blood he can during each visit. She used to donate blood until she was diagnosed with Lupus. She can’t give blood now so Mike tends to try to give more. It’s his way of donating on her behalf as well.

“I think it’s important because there’s always a need for blood. It’s more important to donate to this community because the blood stays here. You never know who might need it—someone that you care about, your neighbor, a teacher or a child on a little league team. When you donate blood it’s a selfless act. There should be more of that in this world.”

Bill Herron likes to think outside the box, likes to follow his own path and definitely doesn’t stay within the lines. A CPA by trade, a “motor head” with an enthusiasm for Corvettes, Bill also has a serious passion for donating blood.

He’s been donating for more than 30 years having started back in college. He donated whole blood throughout the years until he started to donate platelets solely in 1989 through the encouragement of a Blood Bank employee. “I know that about 5% of the population that’s eligible to donate actually does and probably about 5% of those give platelets. Since I’ve just always been an outside of the box kind of guy, it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Bill.

Bill serves on the Suncoast Communities Blood Bank Board of Directors but always puts the importance of donating ahead of business. When asked why he’s so passionate about blood donations, Bill has this to say: “There is no viable substitute right now and I know that 100% of what I give goes to where it’s supposed to go.”