Community gives back through blood drive, blessing box in honor of Tyler Spann

PARSONS, Tenn. — A special blood drive with LIFELINE Bloodmobile was held earlier Monday at the UT Martin Parsons Center.

Each fall and spring the campus holds a blood drive, but this is the first time they have asked the public to bring in canned food items for their blessing box provided by their nurses association.

The canned food drive is in memory of Tyler Spann. Tyler drowned in a riptide in 2018 while on a family vacation in Florida. The Tyler Spann foundation was created in his honor, helping the community in a variety of ways.

“It has grown. We are known for the blood drives as one of our major events. We also have a 5K to provide funds to purchase life vests in open water in Henderson County and other counties,” said Angela Spann, mother of Tyler.

“This foundation has a special place in my heart because I taught Tyler at Caywood Elementary and, of course, his dream was to become a UT Martin student,” said Kelli Deere, director of the UT Martin Parsons Center.

The Tyler Spann Foundation holds a blood drive every year around the time of Tyler’s birthday, which is October 23. He would have been 22 this year.

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