OneBlood is hosting blood drives at eight Culver’s locations across Northeast Florida on April 10 and April 11 to honor Lilly Kishore, a 21-year-old woman who died from sudden cardiac arrest in May 2021. The two-day event spans Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Middleburg and Yulee, with donation times ranging from 11AM-4PM to 2PM-7PM depending on location.
“She was really ambitious, but super sweet,” said Malia Kishore about her daughter Lilly. “I don’t know how she managed that. She was ambitious as a student. She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She went for it and got it.” Lilly played lacrosse at Skidmore College in New York and had planned to pursue graduate school at Columbia University for a career in psychology.
“Just a really giving kid. We were lucky to have her for 21 years,” Malia Kishore said. Lilly became a consistent blood donor starting at 16 years old after losing a friend to leukemia. The Kishores have cousins who own a Culver’s franchise in Florida, and since Lilly’s death, they started hosting annual blood drives in her honor that have expanded to Northeast Florida.
Pat Michaels, OneBlood’s director of media and public relations, emphasized the constant need for donations. “The need for blood donations never stops,” Michaels said. “We have people who go to trauma units, emergency rooms, routine surgeries, cancer treatment that have to happen every single day. That is why we operate seven days a week to make sure the hospital patients have the blood that they need. We never know when we may need it or a member of our own family [may] need a blood transfusion.”
The April 10 blood drives will take place from 2PM-7PM at 4768 Hodges Boulevard in Jacksonville, from 11AM-4PM at 7923 Parramore Road in Jacksonville, and from 2PM-7PM at 2620 Stratton Boulevard in St. Augustine. All April 11 drives run from 11AM-4PM at locations including 7818 Gate Parkway in Jacksonville, 1767 Blanding Boulevard in Middleburg, 101 Monument Road in Jacksonville, 3433 US Highway 1 in St. Augustine, and 463731 State Road 200 in Yulee.
“To lose someone so young and who had such great ambitions for the world, and not just herself, and to have people remember that and give of themselves [means a lot],” Malia Kishore said. “People who donate blood, that is a hard thing to do.” The memorial blood drives provide a way for the grieving mother to navigate her loss while helping others in need.
Donors at the Culver’s blood drives will receive a Culver’s coupon, a $20 eGift card, a OneBlood umbrella and a wellness checkup including blood pressure, pulse, temperature, iron count and cholesterol screening. Michaels noted that donations of any blood type are welcome at all eight locations during the two-day event.