Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
The American Red Cross is pleased to be the recipient of the 2017 Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways Council Gift of Caring program. The initiative allows Girl Scout cookie customers who do not wish to eat the cookies themselves or who want to order extra boxes of cookies to support the girls, a way to order cookies that are then donated to an organization. Thanks to the generosity of the community and this program, one box of Girl Scout cookies will be given to presenting blood donors at blood drives being held in May in North Country, the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, and Southern Tier, while supplies last. Girl Scout cookies will also be shared with veterans served by the American Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces program and Red Cross volunteers, including disaster responders. More than 12,700 boxes Girl Scout cookies are being donated to the Red Cross.
“Girl Scout cookies are enjoyed by so many,” said Rosie Taravella, CEO of the Western and Central New York Region of the American Red Cross. “We thank the Girls Scouts of NYPENN Pathways and its customers for their donation. The cookies will be a sweet treat for our generous blood donors, our volunteers, and those in need of support from the Red Cross while going through a difficult time in their lives.”
“We are extremely thankful to the customers who chose to take part in our 2017 Council Gift of Caring Program by donating their boxes of Girl Scout Cookies in support of the American Red Cross,” said Julie Dale, CEO of Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways. “It is amazing that through their generosity we could provide more than 12,700 boxes to be used by the Red Cross both across our 26-county council region, and around the world. We truly appreciate the immense outpouring of support from the public and the partnership of the Red Cross.”
May is Trauma Awareness Month, and the American Red Cross is encouraging eligible donors to give blood or platelets for trauma patients and others with serious medical needs. Each year traumas account for 41 million emergency department visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions across the nation, according to the National Trauma Institute. A person involved in a car accident may need as many as 100 units of blood.
Type O negative red blood cells, type AB plasma and platelets play an important role in hospitals emergency rooms and trauma centers across the country. In trauma situations, where there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type, emergency personnel reach for type O negative red blood cells and type AB plasma. Type O negative red blood cells and AB plasma are universal. They can be transfused to patients with any blood type. Less than 7 percent of the population has type O negative blood, and only about 4 percent of the population has AB blood type.
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 donors can now 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, prior to arriving at the blood drive. 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.
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