Did you know only three out of 100 people in the U.S. give blood? Yet each day, kids battling cancer, accident victims being raced into emergency rooms, and new moms with complicated childbirths, need lifesaving blood transfusions.
That’s why we launched the Missing Types campaign this June to raise awareness about how new blood donors and existing blood donors, can help save lives.
Helping Fill in the #MissingTypes
Between June 11 and June 30, corporate and civic brands, celebrities, and influencers removed letters A, B and O – the main blood groups – from signage, websites and social media platforms to illustrate the critical role blood donors play in helping patients.
Lead partners who joined the campaign to help raise awareness for the need for new blood donors included: Ace Hardware, Adobe, Amazon, AVANGRID, Boise Paper, CarMax, The Clorox Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Domino’s, Facebook, Google, Herbalife Nutrition, IBM®, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Mall of America®, Nationwide®, OnStar, Oreo, PayPal, Salesforce, State Farm®, Suburban Propane, Sunoco, U.S. Bank, Zaxby’s Franchising LLC and Zebra Technologies Corporation.
For those who have never donated before, or who haven’t rolled up a sleeve in a few years, our message is clear: You are the missing type. And patients need you.
The Need for Blood is Constant
We urge those who have never donated blood or platelets, as well as current donors, to make a donation appointment now and help sustain a sufficient blood supply this summer. Those who come to give blood, platelets or AB Elite plasma July 1-6, 2019, will receive a Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last, and automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip to Cedar Point or Knott’s Berry Farm.*
Don’t wait until blood types go missing from the hospital shelves. Make an appointment to give blood by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the free Red Cross Blood Donor App ,calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or opening the Red Cross Blood skill on an Alexa-enabled device with a selection of prompts such as, “Alexa, open Red Cross Blood Skill” and ask, for example, “Alexa, find a blood drive.”
In most states, individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), 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.