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:
- Wednesday, June 16, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Porter Starke Services, located at 701 Wall St. in Valparaiso.
- Wednesday, June 16, from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at Purdue North Central, located at 600 Vale Park Road in Valparaiso.
- Saturday, June 19, from 12 noon until 4 p.m. at Best Buy, located at 91 Silhavy in Valparaiso. This is a blood donor challenge between the Valparaiso and Merrillville stores. Come to donate and receive a t-shirt.
- Monday, June 21, from 12 noon until 6 p.m. at Valparaiso Nazarene Church in the gymnasium, located at 2702 Glendale Ave. in Valparaiso.
- Wednesday, June 23, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Ivy Tech Community College in the South Commons Area, rooms 106 and 110, located at 3100 Ivy Tech Drive in Valparaiso. Please email agabbertstrang@ivytech.edu to schedule your blood donation appointment. All who come to donate 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.
- Friday, June 25, from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows, located at 356 W. 700 N. in Valparaiso.
- Wednesday, June 30, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Real Life Community Church, located at 3134 Swanson Road in Portage.
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.