Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (July 9, 2018) – The community is invited to help fill the Missing Types at the 9th annual Buddy Up for Life American Red Cross blood drive at Parkview Field Saturday July 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., along with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, WANE-TV and WBCL 90.3 FM.
Those who come to give blood at this event will receive a free ticket to a future TinCaps baseball game and a Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Everyone coming to the blood drive is encouraged to bring a buddy to donate to potentially double the impact for hospital patients. This blood drive has been held annually since 2009, resulting in 1,064 blood donations so far.
This blood drive comes as the Red Cross faces an emergency blood shortage and is issuing an urgent call for blood and platelet donors to give now so patients can continue to receive the lifesaving treatment they need. Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. More donations are immediately needed to help replenish the blood supply.
“The need for blood doesn’t take a summer break, as people often do,” said Erica Blake, recruitment account manager for the Red Cross. “That’s why summer blood donations are critically important.”
The Red Cross is urging individuals to help ensure blood is never missing from hospital shelves by donating blood through the Missing Types campaign. The goal of Missing Types is to inspire new blood donors and those who haven’t given in a while to give this summer and become a regular blood donor for patients in need in the years to come. For the past four years, new Red Cross blood donors have declined by about 80,000 each year. More blood donors are needed now to fill the gaps.
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 2,600 hospitals nationwide, including 80 hospitals in Indiana.
Buddy Up For Life Blood Drive
Saturday, July 21, 2018
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Parkview Field – Lincoln Financial Event Center
1301 Ewing Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
To schedule an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and use sponsor code “tincaps,”
call 1-800-RED CROSS, or download the Red Cross Blood Donor App
Everyone who comes to donate now through September 3 can receive an exclusive Cedar Fair ticket offer that helps support the Red Cross. Blood drive participants can go to RedCrossBlood.org/CedarFair to purchase discounted tickets for gate admission. For each ticket purchased through the website, Cedar Fair will donate $2 to the Red Cross to support its humanitarian mission. Terms and conditions apply and are available at RedCrossBlood.org/CedarFair.
How to donate blood
Simply download the American 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.