Western Hockey League rivals the Red Deer Rebels and the Lethbridge Hurricanes took the battle from the ice to the clinic to see who could bring in the most blood donations last month.
The two teams partnered with Canadian Blood Services to help ensure local patients get the blood they need. Both teams rallied their fans to help save lives by donating blood. The challenge ran from Feb. 1-28th.
The Rebels have managed to bring in a total of 249 blood donations while the Hurricanes were close behind with a total of 218 blood donations, said Tanya Paul, community development coordinator with Canadian Blood Services’ Red Deer office.
“We would like to thank the Red Deer Rebels, their dedicated fans and the residents of Red Deer for supporting this campaign. Every minute of every day someone in Canada needs blood and the true winners in this challenge are the local hospital patients in need.”
Officials remind the public that the need for blood remains constant. According to the Canadian Blood Services, a recent poll shows that 52% of Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment.
Therefore, new donors are always in demand. According to CBS, despite the growing population the number of active donors in Alberta has only increased by 1% over the past 10 years. Only about 3.5% of eligible Canadians donate blood which makes recruiting new donors important.
Donors must be at least 17 years of age, in general good health, and feeling well on the day of their donation.
Canadian Blood Services collects about 850,000 units of blood annually and processes it into the components and products that are administered to thousands of patients each year.
Those interested in donating can call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or visit www.blood.ca to book an appointment.
The Red Deer blood donor clinic is located at Bay #5 5020-68 St. (one block west of Arby’s on the north end). The clinic is open Mondays from 3–7 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
-Weber
