Williams is past chair of the Southern Region’s Board of Directors. Alston & Bird was the first law firm in Atlanta to become a LifeBoard member. The firm holds six blood drives each year and collected 292 pints of blood during the last fiscal year.

“It is a privilege to work alongside the American Red Cross as it carries out its mission of saving lives through blood donation and I am very pleased to have been asked to serve as LifeBoard chair,” says Williams. “I look forward to continuing to serve my community by working to ensure there is a safe blood supply available for all who depend on blood transfusions to survive.”

LifeBoard is a group of metro-Atlanta companies committed to helping the Red Cross meet its annual blood collections goal and also increase collections across the Southern Region. LifeBoard’s 17 member companies hold four to six blood drives each year, including during the summer and the December holiday season when there are always serious blood shortages.

LifeBoard is comprised of some of Atlanta’s largest companies, representing the aviation, banking, beverage, energy, health, legal, and media industries. Since its formation in 1997, LifeBoard has collected more than 120,000 pints of blood, accounting for approximately 10% of the blood collected yearly in the region.

LifeBoard is the only nationally recognized program of its kind. Member companies include: Alston & Bird, LLP, Bank of America, BellSouth, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, The Coca-Cola Company, Cox Enterprises, Inc., Delta Air Lines, Equifax, Inc., Genuine Parts Company, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Georgia Power/Southern Company/Southern LINC, GSOC, OPC, GTC, Kilpatrick Stockton, King & Spalding, Mirant, SunTrust Bank and Wachovia Bank.

Most healthy people age 17 or older, who weigh at least 110 pounds, can donate blood. The American Red Cross Blood Services, Southern Region needs approximately 1,200 people to donate blood each weekday to meet the needs of local hospital patients.