Red Cross offers incentive to donors

By SHELBY SCHROEDER

Red Cross offers $5,500 in gas to fill blood banks.

Wallets are feeling the pinch this summer thanks to gas prices, and blood banks are expected to feel the squeeze too.

But the American Red Cross hopes to help both causes by offering $5,500 in gas to blood donors.

To help top off tanks — and blood supplies — the Red Cross will raffle off five gas cards in the amounts of $500, and another worth $3,000, to blood and platelet donors.

The Northern Ohio Blood Services Region will automatically enroll donors in the “Free Gas for a Year” raffle between June 1 and Sept. 1, 2008.

Victoria Rothacker, communications director for the chapter, said blood donations in the 19-county region drop 18 percent to 20 percent during the summer. With more than 21,000 donors giving at high schools and colleges regionally, bank supplies take a hit when schools break for summer.

“We know [giving blood] isn’t on the top of their minds,” said Rothacker. “We thought we’d offer a friendly reminder.”

Rothacker said the need for blood also increases in summer due to travel-related accidents, with people taking to the roads for vacation. The Ohio Department of Public Safety reported 20,407 accidents between June and August 2007 that resulted in injury.

She said donors can have their names put in the raffle twice during the 92-day period, since the Red Cross allows donations every 56 days.

Donors must be at least 17 years old, meet health and weight requirements and have a proper identification to donate.

More information is available at www.RedCrossDonor.org, or by calling (800) GIVE-LIFE.