EASLEY — Get ready to roll up your sleeves for a good cause this Friday: Robinson Funeral Homes, in partnership with The Blood Connection, is hosting its annual community blood drive.
Because the date for the drive is Sept. 11, the event is gaining a bit more than the usual traction from the Upstate community. The 9/11 Blood Drive will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It wasn’t intended to be a 9/11 thing, the date was a coincidence,” said Elizabeth Kraemer of Robinson Funeral Homes. “We’ve been doing the blood drive for the past few years. When we realized what the date was going to be thing year, we thought we’d try and expand a little by reaching out to local organizations. The Easley Fire Department, Easley Police Department and the Pickens County Sheriffs Office all jumped at the chance to be involved.”
The drive will be held at the Funeral Home’s downtown Easley location, right next to Old Market Square.
“It only takes about 45 minutes to donate, and that includes the screening,” said Kraemer. “There’s always snacks and juice and stuff for donors, but we thought we’d kick that up a little.”
Donors on Friday will be treated to a light lunch and be presented with a commemorative T-shirt.
“Our goal for Friday’s drive is 30 pints,” said Kraemer, a goal that has been met in the past.
According to the American Red Cross, someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. Because blood cannot be manufactured, more than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day. Last year, a total of 30 million red blood components were transfused into patients.
Just over nine million people made almost 16 million blood donations last year, many making multiple donations a year. The average adult body contains 10 pints of blood, donation of one pint of red blood cells can be done safely every 56 days. Platelet donations can be done every seven days.
