In South
Carolina, about 800 lives are claimed each year by traffic collisions. Families
of Highway Fatalities and the American Red Cross are asking South Carolinians
to remember those individuals lost on South Carolina highways by giving the
gift of life this holiday season, at a time when blood donations are especially
important.
Donors can
give blood from Monday, Dec. 28 to Thursday, Dec. 31 at five Red Cross donation
centers in Charleston (Mount Pleasant and West Ashley), Columbia, Florence and
Myrtle Beach. As a thank you for their donation, presenting donors will receive
a long-sleeve Red Cross commemorative T-shirt, while supplies last.
“Families of
Highway Fatalities, an organization dedicated to providing resources for
families who have lost loved ones in traffic collisions, has partnered with the
Red Cross on blood drives for several years,” said Phil Riley, Director of the SCDPS Office of Highway Safety and
Justice Programs. “The blood drives offer members an opportunity to remember
their loved ones, while also raising awareness of the need for blood
donations.”
The period
between Christmas and New Year’s Day is an especially critical time for the Red
Cross, as holiday festivities and travel can keep donors from giving blood. But
the need for blood is constant. Trauma patients, heart surgery and organ
transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or
sickle cell disease may all need blood. There is no substitute for blood, and
volunteer donors are the only source.
Traci Wolfe
of Chapin will honor her son, Kenny, through the blood drive. Kenny died in
2007 at age 18 in a motor vehicle collision. Kenny, who loved fishing and
sports of every kind, had a huge heart for others, his mother said. The family
keeps his memory alive through the Kenny
Wolfe Foundation,
which raises awareness about teen fatalities in collisions, and by encouraging
others to give blood in his name.
“By giving
blood in Kenny’s memory, it’s almost like Kenny is still here and still
sharing,” Traci said.
Donors can
make appointments to give blood and platelets at five locations:
2751 Bull
St., Columbia
1555 W.
Palmetto St., Florence
920 Houston
Northcutt Blvd., Mount Pleasant
3681 Renee
Drive, Unit #4, Myrtle Beach
2000 Sam
Rittenberg Blvd., Charleston
To make an
appointment and for more information, download the free Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS
(1-800-733-2767). To learn more about the Families of Highway Fatalities, visit
http://www.scdps.gov/fhf.
Items and offers are nontransferable
and are not redeemable for cash.
How to donate blood
To make an
appointment, download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS
(1-800-733-2767). Donors can use RapidPass to complete their pre-donation
reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation,
from a computer or laptop. Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass to get started.
A blood donor
card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at
check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some
states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be
eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age
and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.