Neighborhood restaurant teams up with Hoxworth to honor donor
NEWS RELEASE: Cara Nicolas, Associate Director, PR
CINCINNATI, OH (October 8, 202) – A local neighborhood restaurant is teaming up with Hoxworth Blood Center to honor the memory of a beloved community member through a memorial blood drive.
Hoxwoth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati (Provided)
PeeWee’s Place, a restaurant in Crescent Springs, KY, will be hosting a blood drive on Saturday, Oct. 10th in honor of Paul Michels, the Founder and Chairman of Michels Construction and a well-known member of the community.
“I saw a commercial the other day about giving blood. The first thing that came to my mind was Mr. Michels,” said Tim Reese, owner of PeeWee’s Place. “This is a man who walked the walk. He was simply a GREAT person who has a great family and what better way to remember him by making someone else’s day better.”
Paul Michels was a longtime platelet donor with Hoxworth Blood Center, having donated 87 gallons over his donating career. He was the first ever Hoxworth donor to reach 75 gallons of donated blood products. Mr. Michels passed away in 2015, but his family is thrilled that his memory and commitment to saving lives continues today.
“The background on my dad is pretty simple. His brother was injured in the Korean War and he started donating blood at that time. Once he found out he was O negative and a ‘universal’ donor, he decided he wanted to continue to help,” says Paul’s son, Joe Michels. “Like most people of that generation, he simply wanted to give back, and he never stopped. He continued donating until he was in his eighties and only stopped because he had to due to health issues.”
“He loved the people at Hoxworth and would do anything to help support the organization, so this blood drive is our family’s best way to honor him while supporting the community and the great work and research that Hoxworth does.”
Jamie Glahn, Manager of Volunteer Service at Hoxworth, said, “Paul was a wonderful person and there was no better advocate for Hoxworth or blood donations. He would even send guys from his construction company in to donate if the work week was slow. We’re thrilled to be involved with a memorial blood drive in his name.”
The Paul Michels Memorial Blood Drive will be taking place at PeeWee’s Place, 2325 Anderson Road, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10th.
Hoxworth will be following social distancing guidelines and taking extra safety precautions to protect the health and wellness of both donors and staff. Masks are required per local guidelines.
To schedule a donation for this drive, call (513) 451-0910 or visit www.hoxworth.org/groups/peewee. Appointments are requested at this time in order to maintain social distancing protocol.
