Blood drive, artwork display held in Lively?s honor

The third annual Spencer Lively Memorial Blood Drive will be held today in the Magnolia Room of the County Administration Building from 12-6 p.m. The drive will be sponsored and conducted by the Red Cross.

Spencer?s mom, Cathy Bennett, says giving blood is something Spencer felt strongly about.

?He got to donate blood one time,? Bennett said. ?It was about six weeks before he died. He was a big advocate of doing volunteer work and felt everybody should give blood. So this was my way of helping him to get people to donate blood.?

But there is another aspect of Spencer?s untimely death that Bennett says is important to get out to the public. Spencer died as a result of a practice called self-inflicted asphyxiation, commonly refereed to as the ?Choking Game,? where individuals, including children and young adults, use an apparatus to cut off their airway in order to create a sort of non-drug-induced high, with sometimes fatal results if the game goes too far.

According to Bennett, 27 young people have died as a result of this so far in 2006. For more information on this practice, concerned parents can visit www.stop-the-choking-game.com or Bennett?s own Web site at www.spencer-lively.memory-of.com.

Spencer?s art is also being memorialized in a window display at Chole?s Art Gallery on Main Street. Jennifer Fuqua has gathered some of his paintings and drawings, including a unique rendering inspired by Van Gogh?s ?Starry Night? painted on a pair of Converse sneakers.

Fuqua says she got the idea after visiting Bennett?s Web site dedicated to her son.

?I was just in awe of his artwork and his story,? Fuqua said. ?So I e-mailed Cathy and told her my mom owns an art gallery and his story has really touched us and we would love to show his work. And that?s how it came about.?

The artwork will be on display for at least a week and possibly longer, according to Fuqua.