The third annual blood drive to honor Lampeter-Strasburg (L-S) High School alumnus Ryan Smith will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at First Presbyterian Church, 101 S. Decatur St., Strasburg. The date of the event has been selected to coincide with what would have been Ryan's 24th birthday, and the drive will occur from 1 to 6 p.m.

Ryan graduated from L-S in 2018 and attended East Stroudsburg University to study exercise science. He was an avid basketball player in both high school and college; Ryan received the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Freshman of the Year Award in 2019. In August 2019, Ryan was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He passed away at the age of 21 in March 2021 after battling the disease for 19 months.

The first blood drive was held in August 2021. Ryan's mother, Kim, partnered with the American Red Cross to plan the event after being connected with the organization by Heather Reynolds. Reynolds and Kim were both members of local community outreach group Mitzvah Moms.

While Ryan was receiving treatment, members of the community raised over $10,000 to help the Smith family cover medical expenses. After Ryan's death, Kim decided to use the remaining funds to both honor Ryan's memory and give back to the community by creating the Ryan N. Smith RelentlesS Fund through the Lancaster County Community Foundation.

The RelentlesS Fund has been used for a variety of community projects over the past few years. Last August, the fund enabled the construction of the RelentlesS Basketball Court at Hans Herr Elementary School. The court was created by renovating the former court, which had fallen into disrepair. It is adorned with the number five, which Ryan wore during his time as a basketball player at L-S High School.

In addition to the community service projects, the Smith family has created multiple scholarships in Ryan's name. The Ryan N. Smith Youth Scholarship Fund was created through Millersville Community Church, and it assists students with the cost of summer camps, extracurricular programs and secondary education. Each year at L-S High School, a graduating senior receives a RelentlesS Scholarship to use for college expenses.

"One thing we feel very strongly about is trying to support the community, because it supported us so much through our journey," Kim said. "We also want to give back to the things that were important to Ryan: his youth group, his faith and athletics."

To register for the blood drive, visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/ with sponsor code RYAN.