You can gift wrap a sweater. You can place a bow on a shiny new bicycle. You can fill a gift bag with holiday cookies. One thing you can’t put in a box and place under the tree is the perfect gift – a lifesaving blood donation.
When you donate blood, you give the perfect gift – another hug, another laugh, another smile, another chance – to someone in need of blood.
Think outside the box this holiday season. The perfect gift is at your nearest American Red Cross blood drive or blood donation center. And, unlike the latest fashion trend, video game or golf club, the perfect gift costs nothing but an hour of your time.
Give the perfect gift and help a family member, friend or someone you’ve never met unwrap a lifetime of memories.
The Red Cross is proud to present “The Perfect Gift,” a video highlighting the importance of blood donation. Hopefully, it inspires you to give blood this holiday season and throughout the year.
Be sure to mention #perfectgift when sharing these videos!
Makaila Haase, a 17-year-old student, and her mother Kelly Haase donated their home video to the Perfect Gift campaign. Here’s a note from Makaila explaining why she donated the video and why she is a blood donor.
Every year, my family pulls out the camera to record opening gifts. Last year’s gift opening was pretty memorable, but it never occurred to me that our video would become part of a Red Cross blood donation campaign.
When the Red Cross asked me to donate this video, I was so excited to help. My mom worked in an emergency room so she’s always talked to us about the importance of giving blood. She says she saw firsthand the need for it every day. I gave blood as soon as I could at a school blood drive.
In our video, I desperately wanted tickets to the Taylor Swift concert. I don’t know how they did it, but my parents managed to get two tickets for me. I was so happy.
Watching the Red Cross video, I almost started crying because it reminded me of how overjoyed I was that day. I give blood because I want another family to have the chance to make that kind of a memory.
I think that’s what the Perfect Gift campaign is all about—each of us digging deep and giving the gift that costs nothing, but means everything—the gift of a blood donation.
I plan on sharing this video with my family and friends. I hope it makes them want to become blood donors too. It really is the perfect gift. So email it to your friends, tweet it, or share it on Facebook – thanks for your support!