A Red Cross blood drive originally scheduled as an in-house collection at a local manufacturing plant has been moved to the First Church of The Nazarene at 233 W. Church St. in Marion. The drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 28th, and has been opened to members of the general public.
“We had counted on employees from the plant to attend this drive,” said Mark Lawrence of the Marion County Red Cross, “but the facility chose to shut down early for the holiday weekend. We needed to find a new site and First Nazarene kindly offered their building. We hope the workers will either follow the drive to the church or other donors will come forward to take their places. Personally, I can’t think of a more meaningful way to start Memorial Day weekend than by giving blood.”
Donors who are on time for appointments are given priority at all drives. Donors with appointments who arrive other than at their scheduled times and walk-ins will be welcomed whenever openings in the schedule permit.
Appointments for most drives may be arranged by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767); follow the prompt to choose your preferred language, then choose option 4 to make an appointment to give blood. As an alternative, you may book your own appointment for some drives online at www.redcrossblood.org. The Marion County Chapter can also assist with setting appointments. Call 740-725-9141, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
CiCi’s Pizza of Marion in the University Forum shopping center rewards every Marion County blood donor with a coupon for a free 7” personal “Pizza to Go.” Contact the restaurant at 740-386-2191 for complete details.
During May and June, blood donors signing in at drives throughout the 27-county Central Ohio Region can enter a free drawing for a Lowe’s gift card. Each week, one donor from our region will win a $100 Lowe’s card. At the end of this period, one donor will win a grand prize: a $1,000 shopping spree from Lowe’s.
The Central Ohio Region of the Red Cross encompasses 27 counties – including Marion County – and assists patients at 41 area hospitals. The region needs approximately 650 donors daily to maintain the supply.
Every two seconds someone in America needs blood. Blood transfusions are used for trauma victims, heart surgery, organ transplants, women suffering from complications of childbirth, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, sickle cell disease, cancer and other serious conditions.
Under normal circumstances, a donor can give one unit of whole blood every 56 days (8 weeks) or double red cells every 112 days (16 weeks).
Individuals who are at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in Ohio), who weigh at least 110 pounds, and who are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.
If you have questions about your eligibility to give blood (such as medications you may be taking, your health history, or the height and weight requirements for donors under 19), please call the Donor Suitability unit at 1-866-426-0922.
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