Newsmakers: Local Blood Bank Partners with Olympian to Encourage Donors
Memorial Blood Centers falls low on donations during the peak of the summer months. Summer vacations, school breaks, graduations and weddings keep potential donors busy.
“In the summer months, we know people are busy,” explained Maureen Maher with Memorial Blood Centers. “We are asking wonderful folks in the community to see if they can try to stop in and make some time. [Donating blood] takes less than an hour.”
Memorial Blood Centers has been established in the region for 75 years, working with local communities in the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Superior, Wis. The organization supplies more than 40 local hospitals and health systems with blood.
This summer the organization teamed up with Olympian Elizabeth Beisel to help recruit donors. Beisel is a three-time Olympian who lost her father to cancer.
“She understands the importance of giving blood. It’s needed when it’s needed,” explained Maher. “There’s no other substitute for blood and we rely on the wonderful folks in the state of Minnesota to keep us in supply.”
Donors receive an Olympic-themed T-shirt if they give before July 7.
See also: Brooklyn Park Man Advocates for More African-American Blood Donors
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