The Valentine Rotary Club will be celebrating a remarkable milestone – the 8,000th blood donation made at one of their drives. That’s the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of blood.
The Valentine Rotary Club started hosting blood drives with the American Red Cross in 2003 and turnout has steadily been growing in the past few years. The club holds six drives a year and since 2017 they have collected an average of 100 donations per drive.
“Over 80% of Red Cross blood donations come from a mobile drive, meaning a blood drive hosted by a community organization, school, business or church,” said Amanda Koubek, Red Cross account manager for the Valentine area. “These hard-working volunteers and generous donors are key to ensuring blood is on the shelves when patients need it.”
The entire Valentine community is invited to give blood and help celebrate the Rotary Club’s milestone at their upcoming drive.
Valentine Rotary Club Blood Drive
Thursday, March 5
11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
St. Nicholas Catholic Church Parish Hall
400 W. 5th St.
How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device and use sponsor code ValentineNE to make an appointment or for more information. Locally, you can call Jeanie Cozad at 402-376-4715.
All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.