BATON ROUGE - It's been almost a year since the deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans that claimed 14 lives, and blood donation centers across the state are calling on the community to donate blood before and after New Year's Day in memory of the lives lost.

According to The Blood Center, 57 lives were saved due to blood donors and hospital teams.

"Those donors who ensured the blood was readily available by donating in the weeks before New Year’s Eve 2025, were true heroes and were literally lifesavers. Let’s memorialize the fourteen individuals whose lives were lost by hosting drives or donating at donor center locations in the days before the anniversary of that tragic event, by encouraging fourteen individuals to donate on behalf of those whose lives were tragically lost. If thirty individuals encouraged fourteen individuals each, that would amount to 420 donations," President and CEO of The Blood Center Billy Weales said.

Area leaders have signed proclamations naming January as Blood Donor Awareness Month to encourage donations.