Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 24, 2019) — The community is invited to give blood to celebrate life with Gary Norrod at a special American Red Cross blood drive held in his name Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Beechwold Christian Church in Columbus.
Gary enjoys supporting his community. He is a soccer coach and softball player, a block watch coordinator, a former volunteer firefighter and EMT and a platelet donor. In October 2017, he experienced a sudden onset of internal bleeding, potentially caused by blood thinners he was taking. Due to a severe gastrointestinal bleed, he needed 19 units of red blood cells, six units of platelets and five units of plasma to help save his life.
Today, Gary is happily able to enjoy supporting his community again thanks to the many people who donated the blood that helped to save his life. Now he wants to give back as a volunteer blood drive coordinator. “Blood donors gave knowing that their blood would be needed by someone, and would give hope to someone,” Gary said. “I want to share a message that we have a common purpose to provide hope and love to everyone.”
Gary and his church community are celebrating his life by hosting a blood drive and inviting anyone who can to join them in giving blood. “Anyone can share hope and love. We want everyone to attend,” he said. The church is also collecting donations of new men’s, women’s or children’s socks which will be donated to help the homeless population.
This is the third blood drive held in honor of Gary. The first two blood drives resulted in 70 blood donations. Gary hopes to see the 100th donation given in his name this year.
“There are so many reasons why someone may need blood that we don’t even realize,” said Rosemarie Simmons, donor recruitment account manager for the Red Cross. “We take for granted that blood will be there at the hospital when we need it, but it can only come from generous volunteer donors. Giving blood in Gary’s name is a wonderful way to celebrate his life and potentially help others.”
Every two seconds in the United States blood is needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,500 hospitals nationwide.
Donate Blood in honor of Gary Norrod
Saturday, May 4, 2019
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Beechwold Christian Church
280 Morse Road, Columbus, OH 43214
All those who come to donate May 1 to August 31 in the Central Ohio Region will receive a coupon for buy one get one free entry to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and be entered into a weekly drawing for four tickets to Zoombezi Bay through July 31. In addition, those who come to give blood with the Red Cross through June 10 will also receive a $5 Amazon gift card by email after their donation.
How to donate blood
Simply download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. 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 in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), 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 and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a computer or mobile device. To get started and learn more, visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.