Donate Blood and Win $3,500 in Free Gas for One Year!
Red Cross summer promotion geared to rally people to donate blood this summer

Date:	May 29, 2007
Contact:	Diane Concannon, Public Relations Director 609.951.2116; (cell) 609.206.4043 concannond@njredcross.org

In an effort to boost blood collections through the summer, a special promotion will launch at ALL American Red Cross blood collection sites in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey beginning Friday, May 25, 2007 and concluding on September 16, 2007. Donors who come to a Red Cross blood drive or donor center will qualify to be entered into two (2) grand prize drawings with a chance to win $3,500 worth of gas for one year. That’s $7,000 worth of free gas up for grabs! In addition, the Red Cross wants to thank people who donate blood on a daily basis and will be offering a chance to win a daily $25 gas card that will be awarded each day of the campaign. Visit www.pleasegiveblood.org to find out more information. Appointments to donate blood this summer can be done on-line or by calling 1-800-GIVE LIFE (1-800-448-3543).

The summer months are traditionally a challenging time for the American Red Cross to collect enough blood. In order to boost awareness of the need, the Penn-Jersey Region offers special promotions to remind and encourage people to support blood donation. Lea Stanley, Marketing & Communications Director of the American Red Cross Blood Services, Penn-Jersey Region says, “Getting people to donate blood on a regular basis is a constant challenge for the Red Cross. If we can offer something fun [the gas card promotion] and at the same time create top of mind awareness about donating blood during the summer, we think more people will support the blood program.”

In order to meet the basic needs to area patients, 2,000 units of blood must be collected each and every day in New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. Do the math and that’s over 220,000 people that need to donate blood between the end of May and the middle of September. No small task, but one that patients needing life-sustaining and life-saving blood count on every day. “We need people to donate blood at least once this summer, even if they have never given blood before,” added Stanley. “A little more than one hour of a person’s time is all we are asking.”

Blood drives are held seven days a week in communities across the region. People can visit www.pleasegiveblood.org or call 1-800-GIVE LIFE (1-800-448-3543 to make an appointment to donate blood.

Most healthy people who are at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more are eligible to donate whole blood every 56 days. Donors can give blood at any one of nearly 200 bloodmobiles sponsored by business and community groups in southeastern Pennsylvania and in New Jersey weekly, or at one of nine community donor centers. To make an immediate appointment for an American Red Cross blood drive this week, please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or visit www.pleasegiveblood.org to find a listing of community blood drives.

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