On this 10th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, join UCF and the Big Red Bus at the UCF Police Department on Libra Drive, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 14.  Our goal for this blood drive is at least 50 donors in honor of UCF’s 50th anniversary.

The University of Central Florida is one of our region’s most prolific blood-donor organizations. Since 2010, UCF has collected 7,919 units of blood on our campus – impacting approximately 23,749 lives.  

A leader in both blood donation and advocacy, UCF hosted Central Florida’s first World Blood Donor Day event in 2012, creating a photo of a “blood drop.”  More than 100 volunteers dressed in red formed the shape of the blood drop. Our event was featured in the international WBDD report.  WBDD, sponsored by the World Health Organization, is celebrated annually on June 14.

The message of this year’s international advocacy initiative is that every blood donation is a gift of life.  Every donation (one pint) can save three lives, and every two seconds someone needs blood.  The only source is voluntary blood donors like you.  If all donors gave three times per year, blood shortages would be rare (the current average for regular blood donors is about two per year).

Dr. Deborah German, vice president for Medical Affairs and dean of the UCF College of Medicine, reminds us that “blood is ‘the gift of life’ that everyone can give. There are times when blood is the only thing that can save a life. It is then that this simple act is the only thing that matters.”

The need is constant and crucial every day. A blood shortage occurs anytime donations fall enough to strain the buffer that blood centers maintain in order to keep hospitals supplied. The blood center is responsible for making sure hospitals have adequate blood supplies at all times, especially in tragedies. We all have a responsibility to make sure we have enough blood at all times. A single car accident victim could need 50 or more units of blood in order to survive – your blood donation gives someone the gift of another sunrise, another hug, another chance.

For more information about World Blood Donor Day at UCF, visit https://admfin.ucf.edu/ or contact Tee Rogers, tee.rogers@ucf.edu or 407-823-3094.

How you can help:

June 14, UCF Police Department, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Parking is free and walk-ins are welcome, but you can reduce your wait time by making an online appointment here: https://www.oneblood.org/donor-portal/login.stml

Or, visit http://www.oneblooddonor.org to find other World Blood Donor Day blood drive locations and events throughout the weekend of June 14-16.

If you can’t join us on WBDD, the Big Red Bus will be at the Police Department again on June 28.

Thank you, UCF!