American Red Cross seeking Blood Drive Volunteers

From the American Red Cross:

SOUTHBURY, Conn. (June 30, 2016) – The Red Cross will host a new volunteer orientation at the American Red Cross Southbury office, 385 Main Street South, Southbury on July 14 from 3-4 p.m.

The Red Cross is seeking volunteers for all lines of service and leadership positions but is especially looking for volunteers interested in assisting with local blood drives. Blood drive volunteers welcome and greet donors, assist with the initial intake and ensure that donors have all relevant information and that questions are answered appropriately. During the summer months there is a continued need for blood and for blood drive volunteers.

Blood transfusions help save lives and the need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, on average, the Red Cross must collect 14,000 units of blood each day to help meet patient needs. By supporting drives to collect and distribute blood, the American Red Cross serves as the bridge between generous blood donors and thousands of patients who need blood transfusions to survive an illness or accident.

The Red Cross is one of the nation’s largest blood collection organizations and every unit of blood a person donates can help save up to three lives. In 2015, the American Red Cross Connecticut helped support the collection of more than 120,000 units of blood at nearly 4,000 blood drives to provide blood to hospitals and acute care facilities in Connecticut.

“Traditionally, the summer months are some of the most difficult for the Red Cross to collect blood and platelet donations,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region. “About 20 percent of blood donations are collected from high school and college campuses which are out of session for the summer months. We encourage people to choose their day to donate blood this summer and we are in need of more volunteers to help us at all of our blood drives.”

The hour-long orientation session is designed to introduce new volunteers to the history of the Red Cross and to learn about all of the local volunteer opportunities available. Those interested in attending the session must register in advance online here. For more information please call 860-678-2788.

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 click here or visit us on Twitter at @CTRedCross.

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