“Give Blood … The Gift of Life” is the key message during this annual celebration.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI: Since January, 1970, blood banks across the U.S. have recognized the first month of every year as National Volunteer Donor Month (NVBDM).  Locally, Michigan Community Blood Centers is joining with AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) and America’s Blood Centers (a national network of nonprofit, community blood banks) to stress the importance of blood donation and to honor the many volunteer blood donors in our community.

“Every three seconds, somewhere in America, someone needs blood, and the only way we are able to meet that need is through the dedication of our volunteer blood donors,” said Doug Klynstra, who heads donor recruitment efforts for Michigan Community Blood Centers in West Michigan. “Giving blood may not be as highly visible as some other types of community service, but it is literally a lifesaving act. National Volunteer Blood Donor Month is a time to spotlight these generous people who are committed to saving lives by helping us keep our local blood supply strong.”

Across the U.S., as in this area, volunteer blood donors contribute nearly all the blood used for patient care in the United States. According to Klynstra, blood banks everywhere face growing needs for blood and urgently need to recruit more people to give it.

“The demand for blood has grown every year, as advances in medical science lead to more and more treatments and therapies that include blood transfusions,” Klynstra said. “If every person in American who is eligible to donate would do so on a regular basis – three to four times per year – the threat of blood shortages could become a thing of the past.”

Each day, patients in American hospitals receive approximately 38,000 units of blood. This year alone, as many as 4.5 million patients will require blood transfusions. Besides being used to treat accident victims and surgical patients, blood is often needed to help people receiving treatment for many kinds of diseases in including leukemia and other types of cancer.

Any healthy person 17 or older who weighs 110 pounds or more may be eligible to give blood every 56 days. To find out more about donating blood, interested people can visit Michigan Community Blood Centers on line at www.miblood.org, or call toll-free 1-866-MIBLOOD for more information.

© Michigan Community Blood Centers