Category Archives: Blood Drive

Give One More Lifesaving Gift Before the Year Ends!

Posted on by
Reply

Crocker Park to Host First Holiday Blood Drive

 

crocker sign

The American Red Cross is asking the community to give one more gift before the year ends – the gift of life! Crocker Park and Cleveland’s Q104 are hosting a special blood drive Wednesday, Dec. 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Crocker Park’s Market Square. Attendees will enjoy refreshments, a gift, while supplies last, raffle drawings and a free train ride and snow globe photo at Crocker Park.

Right now, the Red Cross has a critical need for type O negative and B negative donors to help save patient lives. Type O negative and B negative blood donations are being distributed to hospitals as fast as they are coming in. Type O negative is the universal blood type and what emergency room personnel reach for when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients in the most serious situations.

Blood donations decline as people get busy with holiday activities and travel. However, patients don’t get a holiday from needing blood. The Red Cross must collect nearly 14,000 blood donations every day to help ensure patients get the treatment they need.

Your blood donation may give a patient in need more time – and more holidays – with loved ones. To make an appointment for the Crocker Park Holiday Blood Drive, download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit rcblood.org/appt and enter code: marketsquare or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

 

 

 

Blood Drives Abound this Holiday Season

Posted on by
1

Give more life this holiday season by donating blood or platelets at one of the many blood drives scheduled throughout Northeast Ohio.  Donations typically drop during the holidays, with people occupied by other activities or travel.  But patients don’t get a holiday from the need for blood or platelets, so if you can, visit redcrossblood.org to find the blood drive most convenient for you, or call 1-800 RED CROSS.

Some of the blood drives scheduled include:

  • Tuesday, December 19 – Quicken Loans Arena, 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm.
  • Tuesday, December 19 – Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm.
  • Thursday, December 21 – Sheraton Suites Akron Cuyahoga Falls, 7: 00 am – 7:00 pm.
  • Friday, December 22 – Stambaugh Auditorium, Youngstown, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Friday, December 22 – Packard Music Hall, Warren, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.

A special blood drive took place in Ashtabula last week.  Red Cross Communications Volunteer Paul Wadowick captured the story:

Arturo Gomez, a sophomore at Lakeside High in the Ashtabula City School District, wanted to help his community in a positive way.  Arturo shared, “By surrounding myself in a blood drive environment, it would also help me towards my goal to be an RN.” The door opened towards achieving this project with parental support. Eager to do this drive, Arturo met with the area blood drive manager, Tara Dragon. She introduced him to the components needed for organizing a drive. Next, this fifteen year old applied himself to promoting. Flyers were posted in the school and community.  Social media was engaged.  One-on-one contacts were made with people he knows. Blood drive reality arrived on December 15, 2017.

Sophomore Hosts BD 2017 12 15

Arturo hosted during the entire scheduled time. The volunteer Blood Drive Ambassador highlighted ‘customer service’ ways for registration requirements and canteen courtesies. When the day was done, Arturo’s learning curve had grown and four first time donors had signed in.  Thank you Arturo for a job well done!

Give Thanks by Giving Blood

Posted on by
Reply

Community urged to help patients in need across Northeast Ohio

By Christy Peters, External Communications Manager, Biomedical Services

Before the holidays are in full swing, the American Red Cross is reminding the community about the constant need for blood. Blood and platelet donations decline from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day as people get busy with holiday activities and travel. However, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.

IMG_3757

The Red Cross invites the community to share their good health and give patients in need another reason to be thankful this year. The Red Cross and Cleveland Clinic are partnering for a Holiday Blood Drive Friday, Nov. 24, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at La Centre Banquet and Conference Facility in Westlake. All who come to donate will receive a Red Cross gift, be entered in several raffles for prizes and enjoy a light meal.

IMG_0976[1]

Photo credit: Mary Williams/American Red Cross Staff Member

Donors with all blood types are currently needed. Those with types O, A negative and B negative blood are encouraged to make a Power Red donation at this blood drive. Power Red donors give a concentrated dose of red blood cells during a single donation, allowing them to maximize their impact.

To schedule an appointment to donate, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org and enter code “CCF”,  or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). For more information about the Cleveland Clinic Holiday Blood Drive, click here.

 

 

Let’s Help Save Lives!

Posted on by
Reply

CEO Sends Message to Encourage Donations During Board Blood Drive

landerhaven4

Memorial Day weekend approaches.  It’s the unofficial start of the summer season, when blood donations typically drop.  The Greater Cleveland Chapter Board of Directors is sponsoring a blood drive tomorrow, the Thursday before Memorial Day, at Regional Headquarters, 3747 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.  Regional CEO Mike Parks issued the following message:

Northeast Ohio Red Cross Family: 

As a reminder, on Thursday, May 25th from 1:00-6:00 pm, let’s roll up our sleeves and help save lives!  The American Red Cross Greater Cleveland Chapter will hold a blood drive sponsored by the Board of Directors.  The Red Cross has over 130 years of experience providing humanitarian aid – including more than 70 years of supplying blood to those in need.

Each pint of blood we collect can help save up to three lives and will touch the lives of so many more. What a great way to pay it forward and make an impact on people in our community and across the country.  We are very excited about the drive and I hope you are too.

We are planning some great giveaways for that day.  Let’s show our community and the patients in need of blood just how much we can do.  There are many ways you can help, but most importantly we hope you come out to donate.  It’s not every day that we do something that has such a lifesaving impact. Let’s blow this out of the water! Feel free to invite your family, friends and co-workers to support this critical initiative.  I plan to be first in line at 1:00 pm with my sleeve rolled up!!

Individuals who are at least 17 years of age (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.  If you are able and eligible to give blood, please make an appointment at www.redcrossblood.org using sponsor code NEOBOARD or call 1-800-RED CROSS.  In addition, you can schedule and track your donation by using the Blood Donor App.  It is free and available for download on iPhoneTM and AndroidTM devices through the App StoreSM and Google PlayTM or by texting BLOODAPP to 90999 for a link to download the App.

On the day of donation, blood donors can save time by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online prior to arriving at the blood drive by visiting www.redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and following the instructions on the site.  I just found out that the President of Biomedical Services, Shaun Gilmore, and his senior leadership team will be visiting us on Thursday—what better way to demonstrate our commitment to One Red Cross than having a highly successful blood drive—we might even convince them to roll up their sleeves!!

Thank you for supporting the American Red Cross!…Best regards, Mike

Hometown Heroes Donate Blood

Posted on by
Reply

 

IMG_3765

Aloft Cleveland Downtown, the high-rise hotel ascending from the East Bank of the Flats was the venue on Tuesday, April 18 for the Hometown Hero Blood Drive (formerly known as the Bloodsucker’s Ball,) the annual event sponsored by our partners at 98.5 WNCX.

 

Ronald Pitts of Cleveland said he donates as regularly as he can (donors can give whole blood every 56 days.)  “I’m O negative, so they really want my blood.”

IMG_3757

Red Cross blood donor Ronald Pitts of Cleveland

Type O negative blood is known as the universal blood type, because it can be transfused to patients of all blood types.  It is always in great demand and often in short supply.

IMG_3762

Karen Hausler believes that by donating blood regularly, she is not only helping others in need, but also herself.

“I think it rejuvenates the body,” she said.  “I’m 70, and I think it has helped me!”IMG_3760

 

Dave Popovich, Vice President of Programming for CBS Radio in Cleveland, made his annual donation of red blood cells for the Red Cross.

In all, donors contributed 276 pints of blood during the Hometown Hero event.

Red Cross blood donor Mary Gosling
Aloft Cleveland Downtown
Red Cross blood donor Richard Privera
WNCX Engineer Dave Spano, right, and legendary midday host Bill Louis

You can become a “Hometown Hero” by donating blood to the Red Cross.  Download  the Red Cross Blood App to schedule your appointment, or text BLOODAPP to 90999 from you smart phone, or visit redcrossblood.org.  You can also make an appointment by calling 1-800 RED CROSS.

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Be “One of Those” Blood Donors

Posted on by
Reply

By Doug Bardwell, American Red Cross Volunteer

I just celebrated my 20th anniversary – 20 years since my first blood donation back on January 21, 1997.  I’ve learned a lot since then, and much of it concerns things I did wrong.  Profit from my mistakes, all made in a relatively short amount of time.

  • While walk-ins are gratefully accommodated, you’re liable to have to wait for an open donation time slot if you haven’t made an appointment. Appointments can easily be made online or with the Red Cross Blood app for your phone.

bloodapp

  • When you are leaving home or office and heading to the donation site, be sure to have your blood donor card or the blood app on your phone. A driver’s license or two other forms of ID could suffice, but without ID, you won’t be allowed to donate. Have your ID ready as you approach the registration table.
  • Drink PLENTY of water and have something nourishing (not fatty) to eat before you donate; BUT, not immediately before you come in. Eating or chewing gum immediately before taking your temperature can cause an incorrect reading and could disqualify or delay you. I recently had a chocolate chip cookie right before donating and it raised my temperature to 99.9 degrees. I then had to wait fifteen minutes while it returned to 98.6. It’s best to have something to eat one-half to one hour before you donate. Also, avoid caffeinated coffee and tea before your appointment.
  • Just like we exercise to keep our bodies in shape, you can pump up your blood’s iron levels by eating an iron-rich diet before donating. A low iron level could keep you from donating.
  • Get a good night’s sleep the night before your donation. Your body rejuvenates your cells while you sleep.
  • Don’t rush. Rushing to get to the donation center can cause stress, which can elevate your blood pressure. Avoid stressful activities.  Breathe, and give yourself time to leisurely get to the donation center. Even if you are a couple minutes late, you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
  • If you’ve got cold or flu symptoms (other than allergies), call (1-800-RED-CROSS) and discuss rescheduling your appointment. You’ll potentially save the trip, and your appointment time can be assigned to someone who walked in without an appointment.
dougdonating

Red Cross Communications Volunteer and long-time blood donor Doug Bardwell

  • Lastly, wear loose clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up above the elbow.

Congratulations, you just made sure your donation was a success. But, one last suggestion, don’t try to leave too quickly afterwards.  There are snacks and drinks at that refreshment table in the corner. Pay it a visit. Take some of the time you saved and treat yourself to a snack. It will provide your body with some needed nourishment and you’ll leave feeling better for it.

Don’t forget, the clock is ticking, and you’ll be eligible to donate again before you know it.  Make that appointment today and have another great experience.

Blood Drive Brings Donors to Landerhaven

Posted on by
Reply

The 19th annual Give From the Heart Blood Drive held Tuesday, February 7 at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven was a great success. This drive is one of the largest in the Region and comes at an important time, as the Red Cross is facing a winter blood shortage.

Despite periods of heavy rain and patches of dense fog, more than 570 donors came to give and the blood drive collected 536 pints of blood.

Each pint has the potential to help save three lives.

Our partners at WTAM 1100AM were on-site for live news reports and interviews about the event and the station promoted the drive throughout the day. Cleveland 19 TV also came to the drive to shoot video and ran stories during their newscasts, encouraging donations.landerhaven-3

All presenting donors received a goody bag filled with gifts from sponsors, a $5 Amazon gift card claim code and enjoyed gourmet food courtesy of Executive Caterers.

If you weren’t able to donate at Landerhaven, You can schedule an appointment at the location most convenient to you on the Red Cross Blood App, or by logging onto redcrossblood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

Be sure to watch for the 20th annual Give from the Heart Blood Drive at Landerhaven next year!