Memorial Blood Centers Asks You to Start the New Year by Honoring National Blood Donor Month

ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 31, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Memorial Blood Centers asks all eligible blood donors—especially those who have yet to donate for the first time—to begin the new year with a resolution to become a regular blood donor and give the gift of life to someone in our community.

January is National Blood Donor Month, and now is a great time to make a resolution to become a regular blood donor with Memorial Blood Centers. Donating blood once every season—winter, spring, summer, and fall—takes only about one hour of your time every three months and helps ensure that we are able to consistently be there whenever and wherever there is a need.  Since every donation you make saves as many as three lives, when you make your New Year's Resolution to donate blood every season you could be making a life-saving difference in the lives of up to 12 people in our community.

You never know when someone you know may be in need. One in every three people will need blood at some point in their lives. It could be a friend, neighbor, or family member. Or, it could be you. "While the demand for blood is constant, the supply is not," commented Wendy Capetz,

Director of Marketing and Development. "And with the severe winter weather we have been experiencing—plus many donors vacationing in warmer climates—the call for blood donations is especially vital to ensure that an adequate blood supply is available to our local hospitals that serve patients in need."

Please make your New Year's Resolution to save lives through blood donation with Memorial Blood Centers by making an appointment today. Please call 1-888-GIVE-BLD (888-448-3253) or visit us online at www.MBC.org.

About Memorial Blood Centers

Memorial Blood Centers has been saving lives for over 60 years as an independent nonprofit supplying life-saving blood to area hospitals and other partners throughout the U.S. Operating 11 donor centers and conducting hundreds of blood drives each month, Memorial Blood Centers also provides comprehensive testing and expert technical services as a national leader in transfusion medicine. For more information, call 1-888-GIVE-BLD or visit www.MBC.org.

SOURCE Memorial Blood Centers