FAIRBORN — Get an early start on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations by supporting the Mary Help of Christians community blood drive slated for 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, March 3 in the Parish Center, 954 N. Maple St.
Everyone who registers to donate will receive the Community Blood Center “Blood Donors are Lucky Charms” T-shirt. Schedule an appointment online at www.DonorTime.com or call 1-800-388-GIVE.
The St. Patrick’s Day “Blood Donors are Lucky Charms” T-shirt is black and features a green Celtic four leaf clover with the CBC blood drop logo. It’s free to everyone who registers to donate from Monday, Feb. 26 through Saturday, March 17 at a CBC Donor Center or most CBC mobile blood drives.
With the cold weather and severe flu season expected to continue into March, CBC is being cautious about maintaining the regional blood supply. Donors who must miss an appointment to donate, are asked to reschedule as soon as possible.
CBC is also focusing in 2018 on recruiting more platelet and plasma donors. The automated process of giving platelets and plasma is called “apheresis” and the number of these special donors is dwindling. CBC’s most dedicated donors are aging, with about 53 percent of the donor base now over the age of 50.
CBC is calling on young people to become the “next generation of donors” and asking new and current donors to help CBC meet the challenges of the future by becoming apheresis donors.
