In an effort to help the people of Harlan County, the Evarts Tourism Commission and Harlan County Ridge Runners recently announced they will be partnering to sponsor a blood drive Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., at the Evarts City Hall.

Harlan County Ridge Runner President Preston McLain said helping the community is something the Ridge Runners enjoy doing.

“This is just another way to give back to the community. We try to give back to the people of the county any way possible,” McLain said. “Our main goal is ATV safety, but anytime we can give back we want to do that as well.”

Christy Lamb, a member of the Evarts Tourism Commission, said the commission is also pleased to be able to help the people of Harlan County.

“The Ridge Runners approached us about the blood drive and asked us if we could help. We want to help people in the community. That is one thing the tourism commission is for,” Lamb said. “We are excited about it (the blood drive). We are expecting a big turnout. We’ve had a lot of calls about it.”

Both McLain and Lamb emphasized that donating blood is a very important way of giving back.

“Donating blood is a very worthwhile way to give back to not only the local community but to the whole state. You never know when you are going to need the blood that you just donated,” McLain said.

“Giving blood doesn’t take 25 minutes. I do it myself and it isn’t that painful. You never know when you or someone in your family will need blood,” Lamb added. “We encourage the whole community to come out and give blood. It’s a very good cause.”

McLain said volunteering throughout the county allows others to see that the organization is about more than “riding in the mountains.”

“This is just another part of the Ridge Runners. This is the flip side of adventure tourism. We are part of the Harlan County community and we want to give back to the community any way we can,” he said.

For more information, call Evarts City Hall at 837-2477.