There’s a scarcity of blood at many hospitals across the nation, however no scarcity of locations to roll up that sleeve and provides a pint.
Together with serving to save a life, donating blood can also be a great way to get free stuff like $10 reward playing cards, seaside towels and film tickets. You might additionally get the prospect to win a number of thousand {dollars}, a trip or tickets to an enormous sport.
Blood financial institution Vitalant, which operates in 28 states, is citing a “blood emergency.”
“The blood provide for about 900 hospitals nationwide just lately dipped to its lowest degree in a yr,” the nonprofit stated in a current press launch.
One in seven individuals who go to the hospital want a blood transfusion together with accident victims in addition to folks battling most cancers, leukemia, sickle cell or persistent anemia.
Whereas highschool and school college students are the largest donors by age group, a lot of the blood donated for many years has been collected at office blood drives. With the transition to distant work office donations have taken an enormous dive. Vitalant alone noticed a 50% lower in business-hosted blood drives final yr in comparison with 2019.
“Identical to our pantries want fixed restocking, so does the blood provide,” stated the American Purple Cross stated in a press release.
To draw donors, blood banks provide reward playing cards, possibilities to win cash and even tickets to main sporting occasions.
Perks for Pints
As of late you get much more than a T-shirt and a few peanut butter crackers while you donate. In fact, for a lot of donors, realizing that one pint of blood can save three lives is sufficient. And it solely takes 45 minutes to donate.
With blood assortment organizations routinely giving out $20 value of reward playing cards to Amazon, eating places and main retailers at blood drives, a pair who offers six occasions a yr can common $240 value of free stuff and save 36 lives.
For a household of 4 with youngsters above 16 and sufficiently old to donate, that’s about $500 in reward playing cards per yr and 72 lives saved.
“One time we went to Kohl’s and there was a blood drive within the car parking zone,” stated Beverly Mattis of Wake Forest, N.C. “They gave us every a $20 Kohl’s reward card so my daughter and I went in and did some buying afterward.”
You’ll be able to internet way more than $20 for giving blood relying on the promotion. Proper now, OneBlood, which serves Florida and parts of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, is providing a set of two tickets to see the Orlando Magic to anybody who donates.
Give blood via the Purple Cross March 1 to March 31 and also you’ll have a chance of winning a $3,000 pay as you go Visa card. 5 might be given away. Everybody who offers will get a $10 Visa card.
Easy methods to Get the Perks of Being a Common Blood Donor
For those who register to be a blood donor with the blood assortment group in your space, you’ll obtain texts or emails with dates of upcoming blood drives and the perks. There are a lot of blood assortment organizations across the nation. Listed below are three of the largest, and learn how to register:
Most individuals can donate each two months. There’s no requirement that you just give a sure variety of occasions a yr, however there may be encouragement. Some blood banks provide a second reward card of a better worth if you happen to give blood twice inside a sure interval.
OneBlood has a brand new Blood Donor Milestones Program that rewards repeat donors with factors towards merchandise and reward playing cards as they obtain sure ranges of giving.
Together with reward playing cards and tickets, many blood assortment teams additionally give out swag reminiscent of seaside towels, fleece blankets, automotive sunglasses and insulated water bottles.
Extra Perks for Donating Platelets
Platelets are small cells that cease bleeding by forming clots. Donated platelets are used for most cancers sufferers, transplants, burn sufferers and traumatic accidents.
When somebody donates platelets, a machine extracts them from complete blood then returns the remainder of the blood again to the donor. The method takes about three hours.
As a result of it takes longer than donating complete blood, usually extra perks are provided for individuals who give platelets, which may be donated each seven days. OneBlood has a big offer ongoing: Donate platelets six occasions earlier than March 31 and you’ll gather $420 in egift playing cards, which can be utilized at most main retailers in addition to many smaller shops and eating places. Every time you donate, you get a egift card value extra money in addition to one value $20. You’ll be able to accrue $420 value of playing cards after six donations. That’s a great way to afford that new TV or purchase groceries for some time.
Vitalant can also be encouraging folks in sure areas to arrange a “platelet celebration” with mates the identical as they may host a celebration at their properties promoting Tupperware, jewellery or garments. An organizer can invite eight mates to a personal catered celebration at a set middle the place donors obtain reward playing cards and different swag.
Arrange a Blood Drive and Win a Scholarship
Highschool blood drives are essential to supplying the nation’s hospitals with much-needed blood. About one-third of the blood collected nationwide comes from highschool college students.
Many grownup donors began as highschool youngsters lining up within the fitness center to do deed and get out of Algebra class. In most states, 17-year-olds can donate blood and 16-year-olds can provide with a dad or mum’s consent. They need to weigh not less than 110 kilos and be in typically good well being.
Blood assortment businesses throughout the nation provide competitions for native excessive faculties.
The Purple Cross is providing reward playing cards and the chance to win college scholarships value $1,000, $1,500 or $2,500 to highschool college students who arrange blood drives in the summertime of 2023. The variety of pints collected determines the quantity of scholarship cash they may win in a drawing. However you undoubtedly get a present card value $50 or extra if the blood drive collects not less than 25 pints.
Together with the reward playing cards and likelihood for a scholarship, organizing a blood drive reveals management expertise and actually stands out on a resume for a job or school software.
Easy methods to Make Donating Blood, Scoring Reward Playing cards or Sport Tickets Simpler
Right here’s some data from the American Purple Cross to make your donation go smoother earlier than you even get to a donation web site. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two different types of identification are required at check-in.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their subsequent donation through the use of RapidPass to finish their pre-donation studying and well being historical past questionnaire on-line, on the day of their donation, earlier than arriving on the blood drive. To get began, observe the directions on the positioning or obtain the Blood Donor App from the Apple Store or Google Play.
Veteran journalist Katherine Snow Smith is a former employees author at The PNW. She covers methods to generate profits, lower your expenses and different matters. Her work has appeared within the Tampa Bay Occasions, Charlotte Enterprise Journal and Greenville (S.C.) Information