DELAWARE - Wednesday, June 14 is World Blood Donor Day, and the Blood Bank of Delmarva is using the occasion to encourage blood donations across the State.
They say the holiday is meant to raise awareness of the need for blood, with this years theme of "Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often” set by the World Health Organization. The bank is encouraging young people to donate and make it a lifelong habit.
They say that before the pandemic, 25% of their donations were from high school or college students, but these numbers have been dropping since, now accounting for less than 12.5%. The bank says there's also an alarming decrease in first-time donors, likely due to fewer organizations hosting blood drives and the rise of remote work.
“World Blood Donor Day is a special day in which we celebrate not only the donors who make selfless donations to help their neighbors, but also our amazing team, who make it all possible,” said Blood Bank of Delmarva Vice President Emily Cunningham. “This year, we are asking people to honor World Blood Donor Day by coming out to donate and bringing a friend! Youth blood donors are essential to the future of our region's blood supply, so this year, we hope young people will make donating blood a frequent habit.”
This World Blood Donor Day, local donors can sign up for the Georgetown CHEER Center Blood Drive, scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Warren L. & Charles C. Allen, Jr. CHEER Community Center, 20520 Sand Hill Road, Georgetown, DE 19947 or four of the bank's five donor centers:
Christiana, 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Dover, 12:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Dagsboro, 11:45 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Salisbury, 11:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Donors can also call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 to book an appointment on World Blood Donor Day.