End of an era for dedicated Pink Hill volunteer

Swannie Turner was honored for her 25-year blood drive legacy

When a Red Cross blood drive was held in Pink Hill on July 8, the goal was to collect 45 pints from donors. They exceeded that goal, collecting 60 pints. Collecting more blood than expected is not unusual in the small town of only 470 people. The Red Cross and the community are quick to give credit for the success of blood drives in Pink Hill to the hard work of one lady, Swannie Turner.

Turner began volunteering for blood drives 25 years ago. Her inspiration came from within her own family, specifically her daughter.

“Pink Hill did not have a blood drive, except every now and then,” Turner said in an interview with Duplin Journal. “I would give blood every once in a while.”

Her desire to give more blood and encourage other people to give came after her daughter was hospitalized in Portland, Oregon.

“My daughter was in the hospital, and she hemorrhaged. She had to have lots and lots of blood,” Turner said.

Seeing firsthand the need for blood, Turner told a committee in Pink Hill she thought a blood drive would do well there. With the help of a man named George Holland, blood drives became a regular event in the community.

“We started the Pink Hill blood drive in July of 2000 and had it in the Presbyterian Church,” Turner said.

The blood drives became so successful that they quickly outgrew their locations and eventually landed in Turning Point Assembly Church, where they are currently held. Turner, approaching her 96th birthday, has been the driving force of Pink Hill blood drives now for a quarter century.

At the July 8 Pink Hill blood drive, Turner handed over her volunteer duties to two ladies, Danita Sheppard and Carolyn Whitfield.

The Red Cross and volunteers honored Turner at the event and presented her with a cake. She also donated blood, bringing her total over the years to 29 gallons. It was not the first time Turner had been recognized for her longtime efforts in encouraging people to donate blood. Several years ago, the Red Cross arranged for her to receive the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine presented by the state.

Sheppard told Duplin Journal that Turner’s dedication was behind the success of Red Cross blood drives in Pink Hill.

“We have donors come from Kenansville, Albertson and other areas,” she said. “She spent weekends calling folks and encouraging them to give blood. You just don’t say no to Ms. Swannie.”

In addition to calling to remind regular donors of the upcoming drive, Turner said Swannie would add to the encouragement with her famous sweet treats.

“Before COVID, Swannie would make brownies and we would serve them to the donors,” Sheppard said.

Turner doesn’t bake brownies for the blood drive anymore, but she said donors would ask about them after giving blood.

“They’d ask, ‘Where’s my brownies?’”

While donors had great memories of her brownies, they now bring back a sad memory for Turner.

“I was making brownies for the blood drive when I got the call that my daughter had passed away,” Turner said, adding that her daughter died at the age of 70.

On passing the torch to Sheppard and Whitfield, she said, “I’ve reached the point that I can’t get around very well.”

While Turner may no longer be a regular at the Pink Hill blood drives, that doesn’t mean she’s not still active in donating her time to others.

“I still volunteer twice a week at the Duplin hospital,” she said.

The next Pink Hill Red Cross blood drive will be held at the Turning Point Assembly on Sept. 2 from 1 to 6:15 p.m.