VISIT Milwaukee – with partner Aurora Health Care – announced today that it will host a series of Hospitality Heroes Blood Drives beginning Thursday, April 14. 

"Our partners at Aurora Health Care informed us that there will be a need for blood in the coming months, particularly when hospitals again begin scheduling elective surgeries," says VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith.

The drives will take place at The Cooperage, Adventure Rock and Saz’s South Second.

"As we have seen throughout our city, so many of our hospitality partners had closed due to the Safer-at-Home order, leaving their buildings empty. It made perfect sense to reach out to those venues and see if they would be amenable to providing their space," says Williams-Smith.

The blood drives will occur by appointment only:

• Tuesday, April 14, at The Cooperage, 822 S. Water St. 
  Make an appointment between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. here.
• Wednesday, April 15, at Adventure Rock Milwaukee, 2220 N. Commerce St. 
  Make an appointment between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. here.
• Thursday, April 16, at Saz's South Second, 838 S. 2nd St. 
  Make an appointment between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. here.

Five more blood drives are being tentatively planned at other hospitality venues.

"We can't think of a better way to utilize our space during a time of crisis than to open it up for those looking to donate vital resources to a city in need," says Emily Dell Revord, director of The Cooperage.