Blood Assurance to give prizes to drive blood donors

Blood Assurance, which has a donation center in Fort Oglethorpe, is hosting an event called “Donor Madness” that will take place March 18 through April 5.

The event is to highlight the need for blood and to celebrate Blood Assurance donors. Blood Assurance is hoping to collect at least 6,500 units of blood, platelets, and plasma during this time. There is currently a nationwide shortage of blood and platelets and that shortage has also affected Blood Assurance. “Blood Assurance is in critical need of donors at this time and we are hoping our donors will respond to this exciting event,” said Blood Assurance president and CEO J.B. Gaskins. “We are happy to celebrate them with prizes and our hope is to engage the community to help us reach our 6,500unit goal. The blood supply is in the hands of the community. We cannot support our local hospitals without volunteer donors. It takes over 300 donors every single day to meet our current demand.”

Between March 18 and April 5 Blood Assurance will be giving away a series of prizes. Between March 15 and March 25 Blood Assurance will give away a $10 Starbucks gift card to every donor that visits a mobile drive or center. Between March 26 and March 29, Blood Assurance will give away a $50 Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card to one donor every hour at all Blood Assurance drives and centers. The event will culminate in a grand prize giveaway of fifteen $500 gift cards to Top Golf. Fifteen $500 Top Golf gift cards will

be given away to donors who give between March 30 and April 5. For donors to enter they only need to donate once. Fifteen random donors will be chosen to win the grand prize.

Blood Assurance is maintaining procedures put in place due to COVID-19 including extra cleaning, social distancing, and a mask requirement.

To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.