Summer Blood Drives Begin as Red Cross Seeks New Donors to Build Up Declining Donor Base

| June 30, 2018


VENANGO CO., Pa. (EYT) – Venango County will be hosting multiple blood drives this summer as the American Red Cross works to encourage new donors to give blood.

(Pictured: Red Cross worker Stacie Buksa of Johnstown stands by while Emily Weiser, of Tylersburg, has her blood collected for donation.)

Earlier this month, the American Red Cross launched the Missing Types campaign.

This blood drive is an international effort to encourage new blood donors, as well as donors who have not given in years, to give blood.

As part of the new campaign, the letters A, B, and O, letters used to identify blood types, are disappearing from brands, corporate logos, social media pages, and websites across the country and around the world to highlight the importance of the letters, both in language and in terms of lifesaving blood products for patients in need.

The innovative campaign comes in response to a decline in new donors.

According to the Red Cross, in the past four years new Red Cross donors have declined by about 80,000 each year. The blood donor base is shrinking, and this trend is not isolated to the Red Cross. Blood collection organizations in the U.S. and abroad are facing similar problems, which is why many are rallying behind this campaign highlighting just how important A’s, B’s, and O’s can be.

More than 1,000 partners across the nation, including Adobe, Anheuser-Busch, Domino’s, Google, IBM, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Mastercard, Nationwide, Oreo, and PayPal, have joined the Missing Types campaign to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation.

Those who would like to donate can make an appointment to give blood by visiting redcrossblood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767).

All blood types are needed.

A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (or 16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can also save time at their donations by using RapidPass® to complete a pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at a blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

Here is a list of blood drives scheduled in the Venango County area this summer:

  • Tuesday, July 3: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Franklin Knights of Columbus, 1436 Liberty Street, Franklin
  • Wednesday, July 11: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 464, 2 Relief Street, Oil City
  • Wednesday, July 18: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Polk Center, Main Street, Polk
  • Saturday, July 21: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Cranberry Mall, 6945 U.S. Route 322, Cranberry
  • Tuesday, July 31: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Oakland United Methodist Church, 1431 State Route 428, Oil City
  • Wednesday, August 1: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Rocky Grove High School, 403 Rocky Grove Rd., Franklin
  • Wednesday, August 8: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 464, 2 Relief Street, Oil City
  • Saturday, August 18: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Cranberry Mall, 6945 U.S. Route 322, Cranberry

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