In honor of the upcoming World Blood Donor Day, Islamic Relief USA is hosting a blood drive this Saturday, June 12, from 9 am to 6 pm at its headquarters in Alexandria, Va.
World Blood Donor Day, which takes place on the 14th of June each year, aims to raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion and of the critical contribution that voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems. Today, 57 countries have achieved 100 percent voluntary blood donation, up from 39 in 2002.
"The need for blood is increasing in all parts of the world," said Nazia Hossain, IR USA volunteer coordinator. “We all can make an important contribution by donating blood and by recruiting others to do the same. In these trying times, it's an easy way for us to address the needs of our community.”
This is IR USA’s first blood drive. Islamic Relief volunteers are calling the drive, "Got blood? Give blood." Nearly 30 volunteers and IR USA staff have signed up to give blood, and the organization is urging anyone who wants to give to come out on Saturday and do so.
"We picked a Saturday, so that it will be more convenient for community members who work and go to school during the weekdays to participate" said Shukri Abdi, an IR USA volunteer. Shukri recently graduated with a B.S. in Health Science and has been an integral part of the blood drive preparations.
The global campaign this year is focusing on young donors with the slogan, "New Blood for the World.” According to the World Blood Donor Day website, the campaign hopes to motivate a new generation of young volunteer blood donors to form a pool that “provides the safest blood possible."
For more information, please email Hossein at Nazia@IslamicReliefUSA.org, or visit the World Blood Donor Day website to find more blood drive locations around the country. For Islamic Relief USA's address, visit our website.
