Public Invited to Donate Blood at SMSC Holiday Blood Drive

Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will hold a holiday blood drive on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Dakotah! Sport and Fitness. The public is invited to participate.

“We decided to extend the length of our blood drive by one hour to allow more people to have the chance to donate blood,” said SMSC Wellness Administrator and Community member Joanna Bryant.

Blood donors are desperately needed. Typically during the holidays blood donations decline while demand increases. It only takes one hour to give one pint of blood and that pint could potentially save as many as three lives. All blood types are needed, but especially Type O, the universal donor. In order to give blood you need to be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 17 years old, and not have donated blood in the last 56 days. Other health matters are discussed as part of the health history and brief examination.

To help encourage donors during the holiday season, Memorial Blood Center is raffling off a tropical vacation to a donor who donates blood at any of the Memorial Blood Center drives in the month of December 2011.

Please make an appointment to give blood by calling the SMSC Wellness Coordinator at 952-233-2965. A limited number of walk-ins will also be accepted.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has sponsored blood drives for more than 24 years. An employees-only blood drive will also be held the same day at a different location.