Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
Help to save lives with the Red Cross and WPSD Local 6 on July 13-14
PADUCAH, Ky. (July 6, 2016) — Make a difference in hospital patients’ lives this summer by taking the time to donate blood. With schools out and families on vacation, donors may be less apt to give, but the need for blood is constant. Donate with the American Red Cross and WPSD Local 6 at the 33rd Annual Paducah Donor Days on July 13-14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Robert Cherry Civic Center, 2701 Park Ave. in Paducah.
DKMS, (formerly Delete Blood Cancer), a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer and blood disorders by recruiting bone marrow donors and raising awareness, will be on site to register new bone marrow donors.
All presenting donors will receive a free T-shirt and pizza from Pizza Inn, while supplies last. Presenting donors will also receive special access to purchase discounted tickets to ten Cedar Fair theme parks across the U.S. (Cedar Fair will donate $2 from each discounted ticket purchase back to the Red Cross to support its humanitarian mission).
The 33rd Annual Paducah Donor Days drive comes at an important time when the Red Cross is issuing an emergency call for donors to give now to help address a significant blood shortage and ensure area patients receive the transfusions they need. During the Independence Day holiday, many regular donors postponed giving blood due to vacation plans, further depleting an already low blood supply.
“Summer blood shortages are not uncommon, but they can be overcome when generous volunteers roll up their sleeves to restock the shelves,” said Garry Allison, director of donor recruitment, American Red Cross Tennessee Valley Blood Services Region. “Paducah Donor Days is not only a great opportunity to help boost the blood supply, but it’s a prime example of how the generosity of volunteer donors and community partners like, WPSD and DKMS, can impact the community while helping to save lives.”
Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. Every two seconds in the United States blood and platelets are 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 approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.
33rd Annual Paducah Donor Days
July 13-14
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Robert Cherry Civic Center
2701 Park Ave.
Paducah, KY 42001
How to donate blood
Schedule your appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS, downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App or visiting redcrossblood.org and using sponsor code: PDD. Walk-ins are welcome.
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 (16 with parental consent in some states), 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, from a home or work computer 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 Delete Blood Cancer DKMS
DKMS is part of the world’s largest network of donor centers. Our mission is to build the number of suitable bone marrow and stem cell donors, because we believe that no life should be lost due to an inability to find a donor match. We have registered more than 6 million potential donors and facilitated more than 55,000 transplants around the world. But we’re not stopping there. We lead the fight against blood cancer by working with families, communities and organizations to recruit donors and provide more patients with second chances at life. For more information or to register as a bone marrow donor, please visit DeleteBloodCancer.org.
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.