By Iola Lions

A Blood Drive co-sponsored by the Iola Lions and American Red Cross will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Iola-Scandinavia Fitness & Aquatic Center.

According to the Red Cross, there’s currently an emergency blood shortage so every blood donation counts. Hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters have taken a toll on the blood supply. In fact, 36 scheduled blood drives in Wisconsin have been canceled due to weather this year, wiping out over 1,300 potential donations.

In August, the Red Cross declared a national blood emergency, noting a shortfall of 19,000 blood donations in July.
Generally, we collect about 40 units of blood per drive in Iola — this amount helps up to 120 people. When Red Cross schedules drives, they earmark where the blood collected that day will be sent to help people in need.
Please give patients a fighting chance. Schedule an appointment to give blood at the Iola Community Blood Drive 3 by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or register online at www.redcrossblood.org.

If the good volunteer vibe you get from donating isn’t enough, please note that we’ll be serving sloppy joes and snacks after your donation. As always, water and juice will be provided.

If you want to save time after registering, but before you show up on that afternoon, complete and print a RapidPass online health history questionnaire on your computer or complete it on a smartphone before you come; the site is redcrossblood.org/rapidpass. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger must meet certain height and weight requirements and need parental permission to donate.