PRESS RELEASE – Countries around the world will celebrate World Blood Donor Day tomorrow (June 14). World Blood Donor Day is designed to raise awareness about the need for safe blood donations and thank volunteers for their donations.
True to its commitment to St. Lucia and in observance of World Blood Donor Day, International American University (IAU), in association with St. Jude Hospital Blood Bank Services and Victoria Hospital Blood Bank Services, will host a Mega Blood Donation Drive tomorrow. The event will begin 9:30 a.m. and will take place in front of the IAU Campus Building in Vieux Fort.
This year’s campaign focuses on blood donation in emergencies. During crisis or emergency situations, the natural human response is “What can I do? How can I help?”. Therefore, the slogan for the 2017 campaign is “What can you do?” with the secondary message being “Give blood. Give now. Give often”. The campaign also seeks to motivate regular blood donors to continue giving blood as well as encourage more community involvement.
This is the ninth year that IAU has been hosting blood drives to observe World Blood Donor Day. In 2013, a total of 63 units of blood were donated to St. Jude Hospital Blood Bank Services and Victoria Hospital Blood Bank Services. This year, the university would like to match — and hopefully — surpass that amount.
The event is open to the public and the university hopes to inspire the community to give back and help save lives.