The first place I visited was the ARC Blood Donor Center. I was lucky enough to be able to interview some of the staff and observe the operations. The thought of giving blood is frightening to most people, including me, but after learning about it I have reconsidered and think of it as something I will try to do later in life. (You have to be 16-years old to donate blood, and I’m just thirteen… so I have a few years before I can do it.) You may hear stories from people about how giving blood takes hours or how the Red Cross takes multiple pints or units of blood, but none of these stories are true. You have about 20 minutes to fill the bag and they will not take more of your time even if you want to, but it usually takes only take about 8 – 10 minutes to collect the blood. They will always only take one unit (1 pint) of blood unless you meet certain requirements to become a Double Red Cell Donor where you may safely give 2 units of red cells at a time. The process is also very safe. New needles are used every time and the Red Cross always tests for diseases such as HIV or hepatitis even if it is your 100^th donation. The Red Cross needs to collect 22,000 donations everyday so they need all the donations they can get! Remember, your donation may save a life! Plus after donating you get FREE cookies and drinks!!

Here are some fascinating and important facts about blood donations at the ARC:

1. The Red Cross can get 3 different products from blood (So one donation could save 3 lives!):

• Red Blood Cells
• Plasma (contains proteins important for good health)
• Platelets (help clot and stop bleeding)

2. Blood Type O- is considered the Universal Donor because it can be given to people of other blood types without causing harm.

3. The average adult has from 10 – 12 pints of blood

When it comes to mascots we’ve definitely got a few around here:

Who’s your favorite mascot of all time?

With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of summer approaching, the supply of Type O negative blood at the American Red Cross has dropped significantly. A decline in blood donations is typical during the summer as donors become busy with seasonal activities and overlook donating blood. For this reason, it is important for eligible donors with blood Type O negative to make and keep appointments to give blood this summer.

Find your nearest blood donation location here.

YouTube is celebrating their 5th birthday today. For us at the American Red Cross the site has served as a quick and effective way for us to speak with you in times of emergency, to teach you CPR,  to make you laugh (hopefully), to ask you to volunteer,  to inspire you to give blood, and to explain our service to armed forces program.

By far our most watched American Red Cross YouTube video is the one Tracy Reines made 5 hours after the Haiti earthquake.

What’s your favorite American Red Cross YouTube video? What’s your favorite overall YouTube video?

We hope to see and create many more videos that can help change lives in the next 5 years.

• NBCNewsCrew It warms my heart to see @RedCross put smiles on faces of those who have experienced so much sadness. http://twitpic.com/1iwkd2
• formerlycayless Just worked with the Red Cross emergency call center to help a servicemember’s wife get to DC to be with him through his recovery.
• ntfb http://twitpic.com/1iwf1z – Today we’re at a Mass Care tabletop, practicing what we, the Salv Army, Vol Cntr & Red Cross do in an emergency
• ErinGreenBean My grandpa needs a blood transfusion. Exactly why everyone should give blood: chances are you or someone you know will need it. redcross.org
• ShaunRolls I guess in CPR a few stanzas of any 6 line Iambic Pentameter will do the trick… Poetry has practical application!

23 Awesome Science Fair Volcanoes
We want to know how they work. We want to know why they work. We want to study them. Most of all, we want to watch them be awesome. – Actually most of all we want to know what to do if we’re affected by one.

Bout to give blood to the Red Cross // someone gonna be mad happy knowing they got some of EBreez blood – You can give blood, too. Sign up at www.redcrossblood.org

The one point in which James Bond is cooler than Jason Bourne… Is when he performs CPR on himself in Casino Royale. – You can learn to do this, too.

TheBGates The @RedCross sent me this donor tag. Didn’t realize that I had a rare blood type. It’s kind of cool. http://twitpic.com/1awwy0

ColeyEndres I’m so glad I held a @MusicSavesLives blood drive last year! I received the Brave Heart award from the @RedCross for having my blood drive!!

CrisisCamp Give time. To the person hit by the disaster, every disaster is major. Help us. @RedCross http://www.redcross.org/ (via @krobertory)

missmelissajean Thank you to @RedCross for everything your hard-working volunteers are doing to assist flood victims across MA!

bgriffin04 is volunteering at the Red Cross today. Had a fantastic time at the Rochester Twestival last night. Can’t wait for the next one.

pmmacias See the great work of Red Cross Team Dos XX in Balad, Iraq. Safe travels home Team 20. http://bit.ly/bI3wHG