Students across the nation can help save a life and be eligible to win a scholarship and gift card from the Red Cross by hosting a blood drive this winter.
Leaders Save Lives is a program that encourages high school and college students to host blood drives during the winter holidays. Blood supply is typically low during the winter season and this initiative will help ensure that there is a stable amount of blood available to patients in need. Statistically, The Red Cross reports that blood donated at high school and college levels account for at least 20 percent of the blood that is donated annually. When students are out of school for the holidays, blood donations typically decline.
“Winter is a difficult time to collect blood to meet patient’s needs with inclement weather and seasonal illnesses that reduces the number of volunteer donors that come out to give,” said Mario Sedlock, Red Cross Alabama and Southern Blood Services Regions’ director of donor recruitment. “Our Leaders Save Lives program gives students an opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills and help ensure blood is available for patients in need of lifesaving transfusions by recruiting their friends and family to give blood.”
Students who participate in this initiative are eligible to win scholarships up to $2,500 along with a gift card. Based off a drawing, a total of six scholarships will be awarded to students whose blood drive collects 25 blood donations or more. All students who collect at least 25 pints during the blood drive will receive a gift card from giftcertificates.com.
Registration is available from now until Nov. 15. Blood Drives will begin on Dec. 15 and last until Jan. 15, 2016.
