In exchange for giving a pint of blood at a “bloodmobile” station at Sunrise Mall this weekend, donors will be able to redeem a free ticket to the California State Fair — part of the latest effort to help a local nonprofit boost blood supplies.
Setting up four times a year in the Mall’s Elephant Bar parking lot, BloodSource relies on such blood drives to help achieve its goal of drawing about 700 pints a day to supply over 40 hospitals in Northern and Central California with blood, according to BloodSource Public Relations Manager Alexander Sigua.
BloodSource uses a variety of promotional offers during their blood drives, with the organization’s most recent February drive offering two free tickets to a Sacramento Kings game. Staff said the previous drive drew more than 100 pints of blood in the first six hours, with “quite a few” pints coming from new donors as well.
Although it can take about an hour to donate, BloodSource’s Gayle Graves said each blood donation helps save “at least three lives.”
“So many times you’re asked to give money for so many different things,” Graves told The Sentinel during the past blood drive in February. “This doesn’t cost you a thing, it just costs an hour of your time.”
The California State Fair will be held at Cal Expo from July 10 through 26. BloodSource says donors giving blood this weekend will receive 200 “MyBloodSource” points which can be redeemed online for a free ticket to the Fair.
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Blood drive info:
June 19-21, 2015
When:
Friday: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Sunrise Mall (Elephant Bar parking lot)
