The Sirens for Life 2013 campaign, a partnership between the City of Red Deer Emergency Services and the RCMP to see how many blood donations they can bring in during the month of January, has been up and running for three weeks.
And according to Tanya Paul, community development coordinator with Canadian Blood Services, the campaign is doing really well.
The Canadian Blood Services’ goal is to help save 911 lives by collecting 304 blood donations in the Red Deer area during this campaign.
Since the campaign kickoff on Jan. 2nd Sirens for Life has brought in 83 units of blood that can help up to 249 lives. Forty-seven of these donations came from RCMP and Red Deer Emergency Services and 36 residents have taken part.
“We encourage people to donate on behalf of this campaign just because supporting the Sirens for Life is a great way to give back in appreciation of the life saving services that [the RCMP and Red Deer Emergency Services] provide,” said Paul. “Emergency Services and RCMP save lives on a daily basis and this is a good way for the citizens of Red Deer to give back to them and save lives as a part of this campaign and support these two organizations.”
This campaign is also successful in recruiting new first-time donors.
“We are always in need of new donors,” said Paul. “And there is always a need for blood.”
Each month the Red Deer area needs between 900-1,000 units of blood.
According to the Canadian Blood Services web site approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. In fact, according to a recent poll, 52% of Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment.
This is the 11th year that the Sirens For Life campaign has been running. Since its beginning in 2003 it has helped bring in 82,000 blood donations across the province. Each of these donations can save up to three lives.
Red Deer residents are encouraged to help the Red Deer Emergency Services and RCMP save 911 lives this month. Call 1-888-2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) for blood donor clinic information, eligibility information or to book an appointment. For more information visit www.blood.ca.
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