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How You Can Help Save 3 Lives Today

January 13, 2014

One hour.  Sixty minutes. 3,600 seconds.  

Lunch break. Pilate’s class. An episode of The Bachelor (don’t pretend you don’t watch).  

In one hour you can get a haircut or pedicure, take a nap, or ride the metro from Franconia-Springfield to Silver Spring. In sixty minutes you can bake a cake, write a letter, or (start to) work on your taxes.

Or, in one hour you can save up to three lives. 

That’s right.  For a simple one-hour investment you can make a life-giving difference to those in need. 

January is National Volunteer Blood Donation Month.  Since 1970, at the start of each year, Americans have been urged to remember this critical, simple act.  

A stable supply of blood and platelets is imperative throughout the year, but donations typically decline in the winter months. Each day the Red Cross needs about 41,000 blood donations to meet the needs of cancer patients, trauma victims, premature babies, and those battling chronic diseases across the country. 

The Red Cross needs what you’ve got.  

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Chances are you know or love someone whose life has been saved or improved because someone else cared enough to give a pint. And one day you might need one too.

According to the Red Cross, nearly 40 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood yet less than 10 percent do so.  This year, you can help change that statistic.  

This investment costs an hour of your time and potentially gives someone else a lifetime.  There’s even a snack waiting for you at the end. What a deal!

To donate you need a donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of ID.  All blood types are welcome. To find a donation opportunity in the DC metro area call 1-800-RED CROSS (733-2767) or search online for locations near you at www.redcrossblood.org

One hour. Three lives. A wise investment.

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