Win An Elvis-Inspired Trip, Guitar By Donating Blood In Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST, CA — One lucky blood donor in Lake Forest could win the chance to live like Elvis Presley with a three-night trip to Memphis, Tenn., courtesy of the American Red Cross.

Anyone who donates blood, platelets or plasma during June will be automatically entered to win a three-night stay at The Guest House at Graceland, an Elvis-themed hotel next door to Presley's Memphis home.

"Not only did Elvis Presley leave an everlasting fingerprint on the world as the first global rock and roll icon, but as a blood donor, he also left a legacy of generosity and community service that continues to this day," the American Red Cross said on its website.

The American Red Cross will pick only one winner, who can bring a guest along on the trip. The trip will also include a VIP Elvis Entourage Tour of Graceland, Presley's home, along with two plane tickets to Memphis, a $500 voucher and a Gibson guitar.

The promotion is a celebration of World Blood Donor Day on Tuesday and the new Baz Luhrmann movie "Elvis," which comes out June 24.

The American Red Cross will soften the blow for donors who don't get so lucky. All donors in June will receive a $5 gift card to the merchant of their choice.

The American Red Cross in January announced its first-ever national blood crisis, the worst shortage in over a decade, the organization said. The organization provides 40 percent of the nation's blood supply and the pandemic forced it to limit hospital distributions.

"Blood donations decline in late spring and early summer — especially during holiday weeks, like Memorial Day and Independence Day — but the need for blood and platelet transfusions doesn’t take a summer break," the Red Cross said in a news release. "Generous blood and platelet donors are critically important in ensuring lifesaving care is available the moment patients need it."

Sign up for an appointment on the Red Cross website.