FAIRBORN — As the summer heats up, so does the demand for blood donations needed by area hospitals.
The Community Blood Center is hosting a blood drive in the city of Fairborn to help fill that need. A CBC Bloodmobile will be set up at the Fairborn Government Center at 44 West Hebble Avenue from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 25.
Anyone who wishes to donate is asked to make an appointment at DonorTime.com or by calling 937-461-3220, as a precaution against COVID-19.
The CBC has titled the summer blood drive “Wake Up & Give,” which runs from May to October. Registered donors will receive a “Hero – Giver, Lifesaver, Donor” face mask and a t-shirt. The CBC has three “Wake Up & Give” t-shirt designs to roll out over the course of the season, as new opportunities for people to donate become available.
The CBC has already held several blood drives across the Miami Valley. One such event was attended by Jeff Joos of Yellow Springs, who on June 12, made his 100th lifetime blood donation, according to a CBC news release. Joos was recognized by the CBC, as he has been donating blood since 1985 and plasma since 2009. He averages eight donations a year.
“I got started at mobile blood drive at the Dayton RTA and I kept going from there,” he told the CBC. “I feel like I’m helping people. It’s free coming out of my arm! If I can help someone who needs it, I’ll keep doing it.”
In a normal year, demands for blood donations increase during the summer due to “challenges of vacation travel, no high school blood drives, and increases in accidents and trauma cases,” according to an official statement. COVID-19 has exacerbated that need.
Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 may be able to help fuel the fight against the virus through blood donation. The Dayton Convalescent Plasma Project seeks individuals who have had a confirmed case of COVID-19, have been free of symptoms for at least two weeks, and are willing to donate plasma to help others afflicted by the coronavirus. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 have blood plasma rich in virus-fighting antibodies. Those antibodies, when transfused to a sick patient, may speed that person’s recovery.
Those wishing to learn more about donating blood may find more information on the Community Blood Center website, givingblood.org.
