Mar. 31, 2011
The American Red Cross is in short supply of blood because of all the snow this winter. To help with the blood shortage, a two-day Blood Drive is scheduled at Shawnee State University in the University Center on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20.
Blood donors are needed and everyone is encouraged to participate. The public is invited to join the university faculty, staff and students for this important drive.
Each year, nearly 3.7 million people give approximately 6.4 million blood donations through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States, providing more than 40 percent of the national's supply. To meet the demand, more than 38,000 donors are needed daily.
Some of the facts are:
Consider giving blood as a gift to someone who needs it. It could be a child, an accident victim or an elderly person facing surgery. Blood can't be manufactured; it can only come from people.
The only requirement is that the donor needs to be 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health. Before a person donates, a sample of blood is checked to make sure the red cell count is sufficient to donate blood safely.
The Blood Drive is sponsored by SSU's Office of Community Service and the Association for Greek Life.