American Red Cross, City of Columbia calls on Columbia to give blood

The American Red Cross is calling on the Columbia community to join a lifesaving team by giving blood. Mayor Steve Benjamin, the City of Columbia and the American Red Cross is encouraging people to score one for life at the Sixth Annual Columbia Lifesavers “Hoop it Up” blood drive onFriday, Feb. 26, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on 1101 Lincoln Street.

The blood drive comes at a critical time for the Red Cross. Even as basketball courts heat up, winter and cold weather take a toll on blood donation. Severe weather and seasonal illnesses can mean fewer people give blood. But no matter the season, patients in South Carolina rely on blood donors to make sure the blood they need is available. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all need blood. Presenting donors at the blood drive will receive an American Red Cross T-shirt and a basketball stress reliever, while supplies last, and be entered for a chance to win the RBC Heritage grand prize package which awards one donor a pass to the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament on Hilton Head Island.

“The American Red Cross fulfills a vital role in our community by preventing and alleviating suffering in the face of disaster and is a true reflection of the humanitarian and volunteer spirit of the American people,” said Mayor Benjamin. “It speaks to the heart of our community and without a doubt confirms we are One Columbia.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment to donate, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code, ‘famouslyhot’.