Molly Avilez says she has a debt to pay. Not a credit card debt for the latest skinny jeans or an advance against next week’s allowance – Molly’s debt is for her life.

On a Wednesday night in 1997, as the family was leaving home for church, there was a moment of confusion between her parents. “I thought her dad put her in the truck and he thought I did,” says Monica Fraga, Molly’s mother.

But 17-month-old Molly was in the driveway – not inside the truck, but behind it.

“I ran over her,” Monica says quietly. “It was the worst day of my life.”

The accident severed Molly’s liver and she lost over half of her blood. “She was bleeding faster than the doctors could suction it,” Monica recalls. The doctors gave the baby less than a 50 percent chance of surviving the night.

But Molly defied the odds. In the days that followed, the tiny girl’s stubborn nature emerged and Molly survived. More than 200 people responded to Molly’s story with blood donations. “She’s a miracle,” says Monica.

Today, Molly is an outgoing, warm-hearted eighth-grader at Diablo View Middle School. In September, she signed up for the leadership class and began looking for a community service project.

“I wanted something that was truly mine, that I could control,” Molly explains in her typically earnest manner.

When her grandmother donated blood that month, a project began to take shape in Molly’s head. She would sponsor a blood drive for the Red Cross.

“I’m here because people gave blood and gave me a second chance,” Molly says. “I want to give back the opportunity to live a second life like I had.”

The idea was the easy part, Molly admits. But, putting it all together would take more organization, discipline and tenacity than even Molly knew she had.

Initially, her plan met with some resistance from both the school and her friends.

“The school wasn’t very supportive because students are too young to donate blood,” Molly notes. “And, at first, my friends thought the idea was disgusting.”

Undaunted, Molly moved forward. “I’m doing this with or without your support,” she told them.

It wasn’t long before the focused teen had won over the naysayers. The friend that recoiled at the thought of a needle helped Molly make the fliers for the event, and students in her leadership class have volunteered to help at the drive.

When Molly first discussed the blood drive sponsorship with her mother, Monica was cautiously supportive. “But I didn’t really absorb the magnitude of the project,” she says.

“Her perseverance and discipline have been amazing. I can’t even get her to clean her bathroom,” she adds with a laugh. Molly’s determination to see the project through was tested early on when the date agreed on by the school and Red Cross conflicted with the family’s long-planned vacation to Mexico. Luckily, the trip was arranged by her grandmother, Pat Fraga, owner of Travel to Go in Clayton. Calling in every favor and pulling every string she could find, Fraga rescheduled enough of the trip to allow Molly to do both the drive and the vacation. “But, she was prepared to stay home if necessary,” says her mother.

The family’s Clayton roots go deep. Monica and her husband, Matt, were high school sweethearts at Clayton Valley. The two reconnected after brief marriages to others. Monica’s mother, Diane Avilez, still lives in Clayton. Molly and her family live on Marsh Creek Road.

According to Red Cross representative Andy Zyla, Molly is quite likely the organization’s youngest blood drive sponsor. “She’s like the instant best sponsor,” says Zyla, who is coordinating Molly’s drive. “She’s right on top of everything.”

“My mom has always said, ‘Be a leader, not a follower,” notes Molly.

Winter and summer are typically slow times for blood donations, says Zyla, who is hoping for a large turnout for Molly’s Blood Drive on Dec. 1. Type O donors are especially needed. “Molly has a compelling story and is very focused. Attach that energy to anything, and it grabs people.”

Donating blood is easy and painless. “It’s just a little bit of a pin prick,” assures Molly, “a small price to pay for saving a life.

“What if the doctors had told my mom, ‘We can’t save her because we don’t have enough blood?’ Please donate.”

Molly’s Blood Drive is at the Clayton Community Gym on Dec. 1, from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Donors must be 17 or older, weigh at least 110 lbs., be in good health and must not have donated blood in the last 56 days. For more information on eligibility, call the American Red Cross at (866) 236-3276.

To see Molly and Monica, go to YouTube.com and enter Molly’s Blood Drive H264 in the search window.