Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
Community urged to make a lifesaving donation April 6 during Cesar Chavez Blood Drive Challenge
THATCHER, AZ (March 22, 2017) — Eastern Arizona College and the American Red Cross are partnering to host the state’s largest blood drive Thursday, April 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The drive takes place at Eastern Arizona College in the Activities Center Dining Room located at 615 N. Stadium Ave.
The Red Cross needs to collect more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day to meet the needs of 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. Patients rely on volunteer donors as the only source of blood for those in need of lifesaving blood transfusions. Blood collected at this drive can help ensure cancer patients, trauma victims, surgery patients and others have the blood products needed.
“We are grateful to Eastern Arizona College and the community for stepping up and rolling up a sleeve to answer the need for blood donations,” said Samantha Bivens, Red Cross Donor Recruitment account manager, Arizona Blood Services Region. “The donations received from Arizona’s largest blood drive will help save lives locally as well as nationally.”
National Cesar Chavez Blood Drive Challenge
Not only will this drive help ensure blood is available for hospital patients, but it also supports the National Cesar Chavez Blood Drive Challenge. Honoring the legacy of Cesar Chavez, a native Arizonan, the blood drive provides college students with an opportunity to promote health education, health and science careers, civic engagement and help save lives. As part of the Cesar Chavez Challenge Drive, Eastern Arizona College is in nationwide competition with other registered colleges to collect as many units as possible in order to receive achievements, community support, scholarship opportunities for student blood drive coordinators.
Donors with all blood types are urged to make an appointment to give at the Cesar Chavez Blood Drive Challenge. Blood donation appointments can be scheduled by using the sponsor code EAC through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, online at redcrossblood.org or by calling1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Blood drive attendees are invited to join the conversation on Twitter by tagging @eacmonsters, @RedCrossBloodAZ and @RedCrossSAZ and by using the hashtag #EACBloodDrive.
Blood donors also can save time by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
How to donate blood
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.
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.
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