American Red Cross makes giving blood easy as 1-2-3

Press release from the American Red Cross:

Summer giving, summer living
American Red Cross makes giving blood easy as 1-2-3

It’s summer time. And the giving is easy.

In fact, helping to save a life can be as easy as 1, 2, 3 when you roll up your sleeve through the American Red Cross.

“Think of it this way,” said Sharyn Whitman, CEO for the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross. “One: It takes about an hour to donate blood. Two: Someone in America needs blood every two seconds. And three: up to three lives can potentially be saved through a single blood donation.”

Red Cross officials hope it’s that kind of thinking that can help people see it’s relatively simple to make a difference.

Every day, an average of 39,000 blood donations are needed for hospital patients across the United States. Patients need blood for ongoing and emergency medical treatments. And that need compounds in the summer when vacation-related travel can increase the incidence of serious accidents that require blood for lifesaving care.

But while the need for blood doesn’t go away during the summer, blood donors sometime do. Donors may overlook giving blood when summer activities fill calendars or take them out of their routine.

“When you consider that blood is often in high demand during the summer, there’s additional reason to make and keep an appointment to give,” said Whitman. “Wherever you go this summer, your American Red Cross makes it as simple as 1-2-3 to help give the gift of life.”

UPCOMING AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES IN YOUR AREA:

• Thursday, June 17, from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Glenbrook Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing, located at 3811 Parnell in Fort Wayne. Please call 482-4651, ext. 325 to schedule your blood donation appointment.
• Friday, June 18, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Monroeville EMS, located at 418 Monroe St. in Monroeville. Please call 417-5946 to schedule your blood donation appointment.
• Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Ehlerding Honda Motorsports Motorcycles & Accessories, located at 5505 U.S. 930 East in Fort Wayne. This blood drive is sponsored by the Allen County Sheriff Reserve Cruise In.
• Tuesday, June 22, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the City County Building, located at 1 E. Main St. in Fort Wayne. Come celebrate the 10th Annual City County blood drive.
• Wednesday, June 23, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Tower Bank, located at 116 E. Berry St. in Fort Wayne. Come to donate and receive an American Red Cross water bottle. Please call 427-7110 to schedule your blood donation appointment.
• Wednesday, June 23, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at North Side High School, located at 475 E. State St. in Fort Wayne.
• Friday, June 25, from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. at American SportWorks, located at 4404 Engle Ridge Drive in Fort Wayne. Come to donate and receive an American Red Cross water bottle. Please call 432-1596 to schedule your blood donation appointment.
• Friday, June 25, from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Fort Wayne Toyota, located at 5920 Illinois Road in Fort Wayne. Come to donate and receive an American Red Cross water bottle. Please call 436-4567 to schedule your blood donation appointment.
• Sunday, June 27, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, located at 4500 Fairfield Ave. in Fort Wayne. Please call 744-4393 to schedule your blood donation appointment.
• Tuesday, June 29, from 6:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. at Regal Cinemas Theatre, located at 211 W. Washington Center Road in Fort Wayne. This is a “Twilight” blood drive sponsored by HOT 107.9 radio station.
• Wednesday, June 30, from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, located at 3705 S. Anthony Blvd. in Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne Donor Center located at 1212 E. California Road in Fort Wayne, (across from the Memorial Coliseum)

Traditional whole blood or double red cell donation:

• Mon. & Tues. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Weds. & Thurs. 12 noon – 6 p.m.
• Fri. & Sat. 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Platelet Pheresis Donation (call 1-800-589-8127 or 260-480-8299 to schedule a platelet donation):

• Mon. 6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Tues. & Weds. 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Thurs. 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Fri. 6:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Sat. 6:30 a.m. – 12 noon
• Sun. 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Lutheran Hospital Donor Center located at 7900 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 107 in Fort Wayne (in the South Lobby of Lutheran Hospital) Traditional whole blood or platelet pheresis donation (no platelet pheresis on Wednesdays):

• Monday through Wednesday: 12 noon – 6 p.m.
• Thursday through Saturday: 6 a.m. – 12 noon
• Sunday: by appointment only

All who come to donate at the Fort Wayne Donor Center or the Lutheran Hospital Donor Center on June 24 and 25 will receive a Vans Warped Tour VIP voucher that, with a purchased ticket, can be used at the Warped Tour for access to a VIP area where exclusive “meet-n-greets” will take place.

 

How to Donate Blood
To schedule an appointment to donate please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health 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.

About the American Red Cross
The Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region serves northern and central Indiana and northwestern Ohio, and needs to collect about 500 units of blood a day to meet patient need in more than 60 hospitals. In addition to providing blood to our community, the American Red Cross also provides relief to victims of disaster, trains millions in lifesaving skills, serves as a communication link between U.S. military members and their families, and assists victims of international disasters or conflicts.

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