Kevin Coffey was on a trip to Toronto, Canada from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when his bus crashed on September 11, 2010.

The Manhattan, Kansas native was a frequent blood donor. After his first blood donation in high school, he was hooked and wanted to keep helping.

“He came home with a bandage and I said, “oh, what’s that?,” said Ray Coffey.

“He said, “I gave blood today”. I said “you didn’t have to have our permission?” And he says ‘No I’m 17 and I didn’t need your permission.” But he found out he was O Negative, a very important blood type.”

His parents, Maxine and Ray Coffey, decided to start a blood drive in his honor after his death called “Keep the Drive Alive”. The American Red Cross said their blood drive is the most successful in Kansas.

“We’re very committed to doing that this year particularly because there have been so many natural disasters, drives have been canceled and blood is in very short supply,” said Maxine Coffey.