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Not all heroes wear capes, and not all heroes shave their heads in support of childhood cancer research.
“We’re looking for heroes to donate blood,” says local St. Baldrick’s committee chair Dan Witmer. “The Red Cross is facing a decrease in donations, yet the need is still there, as always.”
Due to COVID-19 concerns, many schools and colleges are not hosting their usual blood drives, so Witmer talked to some of his committee members, found a willing host at the Oswego Hibernians, and have scheduled a blood drive for Wednesday, October 7, from 1-6 PM. The Ancient Order of Hibernians is located at 22 Munn Street, Oswego.
“We’re still hopeful for a spring 2021 head-shaving event, but in the meantime, we decided to do something else to help locally. The Red Cross is very careful and committed to all the health safety protocols – social distancing, mask-wearing, temperature checks, etc. I gave blood twice this summer, and I felt safe the entire time,” explained Witmer. “We’re not doing any raffles, we’re not asking for St. Baldrick’s donations; this is about trying to help meet the demand for whole blood, double-red, and apheresis donations.”
Donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 lbs, and be in generally good health. More information about making a donation is available at the Red Cross website.
Appointments are preferred. They can be made by phoning 1-800-733-2767, or clicking on-line at www.redcrossblood.org
