Saving lives is Labor of Love at Labor Day weekend blood drive

DAYTON – The hard work of helping save lives has been a labor of love for Community Blood Center and its donors for nearly 60 years. This Labor Day weekend marks an urgent need for multiple blood types, and a milestone for the region’s first blood bank.

Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services will unveil a new identity Friday, Sept. 1. The historic announcement will be part of the Labor Day weekend blood drive Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Sept. 1-3 at the Dayton Donation Center, 349 S. Main St.

Walk-ins are welcome at the Dayton Donation Center, or make an appointment to donate at www.DonorTime.com, call 937-461-3220 or use the Donor Time app.

There are only six mobile blood drives scheduled on Friday and Saturday of the Labor Day weekend, and though the Donation Center will be open for special hours on Sunday, the center will be closed Monday for Labor Day. The blood center enters the holiday weekend with an urgent need for multiple blood types.

Everyone who registers to donate at the Dayton Donation Center Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be among the first to receive a quarter-zip, long-sleeve shirt with the blood center’s new logo. The exclusive shirt is the donor gift for the month of September only.

All registered donors at the Dayton Donation Center will spin the wheel to win prizes ranging in value from $10 to $300 value. All donors will also be automatically entered in the weekend-only donor drawing to win a year’s supply of Raising Cane’s chicken (a $1,500 value).

Friday, Sept. 1, at the Dayton Donation Center will also include a Ritter’s Sundae Bar from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be custom-designed cookies from Ashley’s Pastry Shop on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2-3 in the Dayton Donation Center Donor Café.

Sunday, Sept. 3 will mark the final day to enter the drawing to win a pair of Cincinnati Bengals season tickets. Everyone who registered to donate July 31-Sept. 3 is automatically entered in the drawing.

The blood drive prizes and treats are a way to thank donors for working hard to help save lives. It will also be a day to remember in the blood center’s history.

You can save time while helping save lives by using “DonorXPress” to complete the donor questionnaire before arriving at a blood drive. Find DonorXPress on the Donor Time App or at www.givingblood.org/donorxpress.

Blood donation requirements: Donors are required to provide a photo ID that includes their full name. Past CBC donors are also asked to bring their CBC donor ID card. Donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 years old with parental consent: form available at www.givingblood.org or at the Dayton CBC and mobile blood drive locations), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds (you may have to weigh more depending on your height), and be in good physical health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changes blood donor eligibility guidelines periodically. Individuals with eligibility questions can email [email protected] or call 937-461-3220. Make an appointment at www.DonorTime.com.

Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services® is an independent, not-for-profit organization. Community Blood Center provides blood products to partner hospitals and health centers within its 18-county service area of western Ohio and eastern Indiana and to select hospitals and blood centers outside the region. For more information visit www.givingblood.org.