Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
AMERICUS, Ga. (Dec. 10, 2018) — Help to save lives in loving memory of Jody C. Smith and Nicholas R. Smarr with the American Red Cross and Phoebe Sumter Medical Center Friday, Dec. 21, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Americus First Baptist Church, 221 South Lee St. in Americus. Participants will receive a free Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.
Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jody C. Smith, 25, and Americus Police Officer Nicholas R. Smarr, 25, died after being shot on duty, while answering a domestic violence call in Americus Dec. 7, 2016. The officers were best friends and graduated from high school and the ABAC Police Academy, together, Dec. 7, 2012. They died exactly four years later, just a day a part, at a local hospital.
The Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood and platelet donations every day for patients in need. Blood is needed for many different reasons. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all need blood.
“Blood donations often decline from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, and volunteer donors are needed to help ensure a stable blood supply,” said Johnny Williams, donor recruitment account manager for the Red Cross Southern Blood Services Region. “What better way to honor their lives than to give a pint of blood in remembrance of their sacrifice, so that others may live.”
Those with types O, A negative and B negative blood are encouraged to make a Power Red donation at this blood drive. Power Red donors give a concentrated dose of red blood cells during a single donation, allowing them to maximize their impact. During this type of donation, red blood cells are separated from other blood components, and the plasma and platelets are safely and comfortably returned to the donor.
How to donate blood
For more information and to make an appointment to donate, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) sponsor code: PSMC Donors of all blood types are needed. 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 computer or mobile device, 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.