Red Cross: Donors Needed to Keep Blood Supply Strong

Summer is finally here and many people are busy enjoying time off, vacations, and outdoor activities. Unfortunately, summer also means not as many people donating blood on a regular basis. The American Red Cross is urging the community to give and ensure blood is available whenever needed this summer.

High school and college students donate about 20 percent of the blood collected through the American Red Cross. When students are not in school, giving at regularly scheduled blood drives, those pints must be collected somewhere else. In addition, summer travel and activities can also result in accidents that require immediate and intensive medical care.

“Your blood donations through the American Red Cross help build a blood supply strong enough to meet everyday and emergency medical needs,” said Rodney Wilson, communications manager for the American Red Cross Central Ohio Blood Services Region. “It’s blood on the shelves today that helps save lives.”

On average, the American Red Cross must collect about 15,000 pints of blood every day to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,700 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country. Blood donations help meet the needs of cancer patients, trauma victims, organ transplant recipients, premature babies with complications, sickle cell disease patients and others.

As an extra incentive to give blood during June, everyone who comes to give at a blood drive in Central Ohio will receive a Columbus Zoo and Aquarium buy-one-get-one free entry coupon and can enter to win weekly drawings for four tickets to Zoombezi Bay.

This summer, there are 100 chances to give hope with the Red Cross by giving blood. Visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to learn more and make an appointment.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

• June 12, 2014, American Legion, Harold L. Bradley Post 584, (Bingo Hall) 142 Olney Avenue 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• June 13, 2014, Marion Credit Union – Barks Road, 300 Barks Road East, (Bus) 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• June 15, 2014, Lowe’s Marion, 1840 Marion Mt. Gilead Road, (Bus) 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• June 17, 2014, Baking People Happy, 1116 Mt. Vernon Avenue (Dining Area) 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• June 24, 2014, Marion First Church of the Nazarene, 233 West Church Street, (Gymnasium) 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

To schedule an appointment to donate please visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for more information. If you are at least 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), meet height and weight requirements (at least 110 pounds based on height) and are in good general health, you may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.