The Shawnee Volunteer Fire Co., 3747 Lockport Road, will play host to a memorial blood drive and basket raffle in honor of the late Brandon Kupiec from 1-7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 2.
The Shawnee Volunteer Fire Co. has been lifelong friends of the Kupiec family, as Kupiec's grandfather was a long time member since 1969, former chief and the voice of Thursday night bingo. Whenever grandpa was there, Brandon was too.
At age 14, Kupiec became a junior firefighter, a role which he took serious and taught him the meaning of giving.
This was the beginning lessons of Kupiec's kindness and generosity. On a regular basis, he donated blood with Unyts.
Kupiec passed away unexpectedly in 2013 at age 20 and his family holds this yearly event in his honor.
The Kupiec family encouraged the community to share his memory by donating on his behalf. The family also set a goal to collect 100 pints in six hours.
The basket raffle will support a welding scholarship - another one of Kupiec's passions - in Kupiec's name, which will be given to a local high school student who shares the same passion of welding.
To schedule an appointment, visit unytsblooddonor.org, enter sponsor code 000376 or call MaryBeth at 692-5084. All donors will receive a pair of Buffalo Bisons tickets, a free hot dog lunch and a sheet of raffle tickets.
