ERIE, PA – The blood supply has been declining since before Memorial Day weekend, but recent heavy usage by several local patients, one with type A blood the other type O, has put us over the edge. The Community Blood Bank is appealing to the public to come in and donate before the weekend to prevent the situation from turning critical.
Summer is the hardest time of the year for the blood supply; about 27% of all blood comes from students and now that school’s out, we’ll have fewer donors. Blood usage also rises as people travel, ride motorcycles, and participate in other outdoor activities where accidents happen.
The Community Blood Bank is located at 26th and Peach in Erie and is open Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturdays from 9am to 12:30pm. No appointment is needed to save a life.
“We’ve been expecting a tough summer for the blood supply,” Says Dan Desrochers Director of Marketing at the Community Blood Bank. “We just hope enough people are generous enough to give up a half an hour to help save a life.”
Hi Dan,
It would seem reasonable that everyone knows where 26th and Peach is.
But given the nature of your appeal, I would suggest you add two things to your appeals always:
1) The exact address. There is a Northwest Bank on the Southwest corner, a Tattoo spot, I believe on the Southeast corner, and I never paid attention to the other corners.
2) A Google Map in your varied posts. It would show precisely where you are located, for anyone to view it. This would be especially beneficial to folks staying in our various hotels and motels all summer. If you notify every spot in town that caters to visitors, they just might stop by and donate…..if they can find it easily.
Perhaps this appeal to visitors would offset the loss of student donations to a degree, especially if you also give all hotel/motel spots a card for their guests mentioning the gift of life they could give while visiting us. Since they are travelers, they know the one who needs it,……. may be them.
Either way, 1 and 2 above are needed, despite the seeming obviousness of
“26th and Peach”.
Use the map & address you have on Google, on all your marketing spots.
Invite folks to read your website too.
http://www.fourhearts.org/index.html
Lots of info there.
And from the Pittsburg website, there is additional information, that locals HERE surely do not know. Working together can increase donation folks in both spots.
Pittsburg info is here:
http://www.centralbloodbank.org/
Publish an Excel spreadsheet with actual usage of all types, by type, used last year to give folks a clue on which ones are in demand big time. Update the spreadsheet monthly.
Ask doctors to please tell their patients what their blood type is as well.
They don’t say, unless you ask, and no one asks.
You are one of few businesses that is thankful to run in the “Red”.
Good luck!