By Patrick Baron
BLOOMINGTON – The 13th annual Radio Bloomington Summer Blood Drive will be holding its second day of donations today from 12-5:50 p.m. at Avanti’s on East Empire Street in Bloomington. The first day of donations was held July 18, where a total of 69 units of blood were donated.
American Red Cross of Central Illinois Blood Services Director Steve Stoewer explained that the donations are for anyone who needs blood.
“I always try to tell people this: it’s not the Red Cross that needs blood. We don’t have this giant stockpile of blood that we just want to horde. It’s for people like you when you need it and other people in the hospitals right now,” Stoewer said.
However, Stoewer also discussed how donations in the summer tend to decline due to the student population not being in school.
“We do have problems in the summer, moreso than other times of the year. About 20 percent of blood donations the Red Cross collects comes from schools, the school blood drives at high schools and colleges,” said Stoewer.
Yet despite the lack of school blood drives, donations this year have been high, with the Red Cross on track to beat the record of most units of blood donated during the drive. The current record is 114 units of blood donated in 2014.
Those who donate blood will be given a free Gondola sandwich, courtesy of Avanti’s.
Patrick Baron can be reached at patrick.baron@cumulus.com.
