Music Saves Lives and the Vans Warped Tour are partnering with New Jersey Blood Services (NJBS), a division of New York Blood Center (NYBC), in reaching out to high school and college students to educate and encourage blood donations, and ensure hospital demands continue to be met over the summer.
The event will be held from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 6, at the Monmouth Mall, 180 Route 35.
Participating donors will receive a free iTunes download card with 10 songs by the bands that are a part of the tour. Although donors will need to purchase their own tickets to the concerts, each person donating blood will also receive a VIP meet and greet voucher.
Traditionally during the summer months, blood donations drop due to high school and colleges closing and regular community drives being postponed until the fall due to vacations. By the end of the summer, area hospitals usually experience critical blood shortages. The Music Saves Lives blood drives should create awareness of this need.
Each and every day there are patients who depend on the transfusion of red blood cells, platelets and plasma to stay alive. But blood and blood products can’t be manufactured. They can only come from volunteer blood donors who take an hour to attend a blood drive or visit a donor center.
NJ Blood Services, which supplies blood products and services to hospitals throughout the tri-state area, is urging all eligible persons to donate. Donors must be in generally good health, weigh at least 110 pounds, at least 17 years of age, or 16 with parental consent. Blood donors should drink plenty of water and eat regular meals prior to donating. People with tattoos are eligible to donate provided they were tattooed in a licensed N.J. shop.
Blood donors must present a photo or signed ID. Those younger than 16 may have someone donate on their behalf to receive the iTunes download card and voucher.
Medical questions regarding eligibility should be directed to NJ Blood Services at 800-933-BLOOD (2566).
For information regarding additional Music Saves Lives blood drives, log on to http://tinyurl.com/MSLblooddrives
