Download the Blood App for Blood Donor Month

Life (or afterlife) as a vampire just got easier thanks to the new American Red Cross Blood Donor App. The latest of many American Red Cross apps provides users with information to schedule blood donations, track their total donations, get rewards, and invite friends to join them on a lifesaving team.

“As the nation’s single largest supplier of blood and blood products, the Red Cross is uniquely positioned to bring this cutting edge technology to blood and platelet donors,” said Shaun Gilmore, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services. “Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and the Blood Donor App is a new way to help meet that constant need.”

Through the Blood Donor App, users can schedule and manage their donation appointments, track the lifetime impact of their donations and recruit friends and family to roll up a sleeve with them. Other features of the app include:

• A blood drive or blood donation center locator;  
• The ability to sync a blood donation appointment with the user’s calendar;
• Personalized “selfies” donors can use as they share their donation experience through social media; 
• Special badges donors can unlock as they interact with the app, make donations and spread the word; 
• A chance for donors to come together to form teams, track their cumulative impact and view standings on the Blood Donor Teams Leaderboard; and
• Uplifting donor and blood recipient stories that show the power of rolling up a sleeve to help save lives.

Blood Donor App users will also get unique “thank yous” from the Red Cross and its partners – exclusive offers and discounts from some of America’s best brands.

The Red Cross has become a leader in putting vital safety information in the hands of people who need it during emergencies, with its award-winning disaster and preparedness apps downloaded more than 5 million times over the past two years. The new Blood Donor App takes it one step further by helping people save lives through blood donations.

The Blood Donor App, along with the others, can be found in app stores by searching for American Red Cross, visiting redcross.org/apps or redcrossblood.org/bloodapp, or by texting BLOODAPP to 90999 for a direct link to download. Message and data rates for texting may apply.

Eligible blood donors do not need a smart phone to schedule an appointment to give blood. Appointments can always be made by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or by visiting redcrossblood.org.

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Gibson Foundation Partners with Red Cross for Rock and Roll Up Your Sleeve

written by Kimberly Hill, staff contributor



American Red Cross blood donors rock! The annual campaign, Rock and Roll Up Your Sleeve, is underway and continues through July 31. This year, the Red Cross is teaming up with the Gibson Foundation in an effort to encourage people to give blood or platelets over the summer. The partnership is one example of the foundation’s efforts to promote health and welfare initiatives.

“We’re delighted to partner with the Red Cross, as they are obviously aligned with our core beliefs and values,” said Dave Berryman, vice president of the Gibson Foundation and president of Gibson Guitar Corp. “Supporting this wonderful program is very exciting to us. Working directly with the Red Cross, we hope to bring in as many donors possible who are ready to ‘rock and roll up their sleeve.’”



During the campaign, presenting donors will receive a chance to win a Gibson guitar, co-branded guitar pick (fixed sites only), and a rock-‘n’-roll-themed T-shirt. As a special incentive for young donors, anyone from 16-21 years old can enter to win a $5,000 scholarship as well.

Such generous giveaways from the Gibson Foundation give people extra incentive to donate during the summer, a time when the blood supply often drops to low levels.

“We are all only a beat away from being able to help save lives by donating blood or platelets,” said Steffi Tatum Dite, Red Cross marketing director. “I am profoundly grateful for the Gibson Foundation’s support of the Red Cross in our efforts to promote blood and platelet donation. Their generous donation to our summer campaign is generating a lot of excitement within the organization and will be a big hit with donors. I applaud the Gibson Foundation’s commitment to supporting programs and nonprofit organizations that create a brighter outlook for our communities.”

The Gibson Foundation and Red Cross invite you to donate blood or platelets this summer and help save lives. You’ll feel like a rock star — and so will the patients who receive your lifesaving gift.

Blood drives are sometimes added throughout the month, so check http://www.redcrossblood.com/ for updates. The Dallas-area donation center, located in Farmers Branch at One Medical Parkway, Suite 215, is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
How to donate blood

Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit www.redcrossblood.org for more information, or to make an appointment. Every blood type is needed to ensure the Red Cross maintains an adequate blood supply. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Donors must have general good health, weigh at least 110 pounds and be at least 17 years old (16 with a completed Parental Consent Form). Many donors are eligible to give blood every 56 days.

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Give the Perfect Gift. Get Cookies!

Join Santa this Holiday Season and Give the Perfect Gift

Imagine a gift that doesn’t cost you a penny. No coupons, special deals, shipping fees or crowded shopping areas are needed for its purchase. What if the gift that costs you nothing is really the “Perfect Gift”…the gift of life!

Forget about the door buster deals and steals. The Red Cross has the best deal yet – 3 for 1! You can help save up to three lives with one blood donation.

The holidays are one of the toughest times to collect blood but YOU can make a difference. If only 10 percent of the U.S. population donated blood this holiday season, up to 34.2 millions lives would be saved.

This season give more time – time with loved ones, time to create memories and time to laugh. Put away your credit card (unless you're making a purchase from the Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog at www.redcross.org/gifts) and roll up your sleeve to give a gift that truly matters – the gift of life.

No matter if you’ve been naughty or nice, we’ll be sure to have cookies waiting for you when you come to donate.

To schedule an appointment to donate or find a blood drive near you, visit www.redcrossblood.org. When you're done, take a look at this quick video that's sure to have you laughing! From all of us at the American Red Cross, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season!

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Thank You Blood Donors

Thank you to everyone who came to donate blood in September to help us meet our goal. We came very close but fell a little short. With your help, we know we can exceed the goal in October! As an extra incentive, come by and attempt to donate at any Red Cross blood drive in Texas by this Sunday, Oct. 9 and you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Five gift cards will be given away each day.

By donating blood, you are helping us give the gift of life and hope. When donating with the Red Cross, not only will your donation help patients in your local community, but also your friends and family across the country.

To schedule an appointment or find a drive near you, visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/ or call 1-800-REDCROSS.

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How you can help save lives

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Blood is the only product that cannot be manufactured and can only be donated. When I go visit blood drives, I am often fascinated by stories of what motivates donors to give the gift of life. Many times the response is simple, “Why not?” Then, there is the thought of paying it forward – if I donate blood, when I need it someone else will donate to help me. Others like 23 gallon donor, Roger Warner decided to start giving to honor another. In Mr. Warner’s case he began donating to honor of a friend diagnosed with cancer. No matter the motivation, each gift of life is greatly appreciated.

Texas Red Cross supervisor, Alison Cook, shares her story of how blood donations saved her life.

“At the age of only 18, I received 25 units of blood following a car accident that led to seven months of hospitalizations. I’m so appreciative of the people who made that voluntary decision to give. Donating blood really taps into what each of us believes about living. It tells us something about what version of life we are choosing for ourselves and what version we believe someone else deserves. So many people are looking for that connection, wanting to be a little bit more engaged with things that matter and are permanent. Donating blood makes you that person.”

One blood donation can save up to three lives. Present to donate at any Red Cross blood drive in Texas by Friday, September 30 and you will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card. To schedule an appointment or find a drive near you, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS.

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World Blood Donor Day is June 14th - "Celebrating the gift of Blood"

Supermodel Niki Taylor, a Red Cross volunteer and blood recipient

In 2011 alone, nearly 6 million people across America may require a blood transfusion. With no substitute for human blood, those in need rely on the kindness of donors. Through their generous actions, these blood donors prove how one person can make a difference in the lives of many, as one blood donation can help save more than one life.

To raise awareness about this critical issue, American Red Cross Blood Services is partnering with Nexcare™ Bandages on the third-annual Nexcare give Program. This nationwide initiative thanks blood donors and encourages others to give. The campaign kicks off June 14, 2011, World Blood Donor Day, and runs through the end of the month at Red Cross blood drives and donor centers across the country. During this campaign, Nexcare is providing, for free, a limited-edition collection of five fashion bandages emblazoned with the word give to demonstrate how doing good looks good too.

Supermodel Niki Taylor, a Red Cross volunteer and blood recipient, is serving as the face and voice of this year’s campaign. She credits her survival to the donors and doctors who helped save her life.

“As someone who owes her life to donors who gave blood to help someone they didn’t even know, I think giving blood is a critical community service that cannot be overlooked. Currently, however, only about eight percent of those who can give do so each year,” said Niki Taylor. “Through the Red Cross and Nexcare give program, I hope to educate people about the impact each person can have, and help them realize that helping to save a life is always in style.”

The Red Cross must collect 22,000 units of blood each weekday, and another 15,000 each weekend in order to help save the lives of patients like Niki.

Please give today.

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Blood Products Shipped to Alabama

Tornadoes and floods have devastated communities and uprooted families across many states, and the Red Cross is working to provide materials, equipment and blood products to areas hardest hit.

The Red Cross is moving hundreds of blood products to Alabama to make sure hospital patients have the blood they need following the deadly tornadoes there on Wednesday night.

This severe weather has caused the cancellation of 811 blood and platelet donations this week, mostly in the Southeast, South Central and Mid-Atlantic areas.

Maintaining sufficient blood to meet patient needs is a delicate balance between supply and demand. The Red Cross urges eligible donors in unaffected areas to make an appointment to give blood or platelets in the coming days and weeks.

All blood types are needed, but type O-negative donors can make the difference between an adequate blood supply and a shortage.

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