Give back and you may win big.
If you bleed burgundy and gold, INOVA Blood Donor Services has an offer for you.
Sign up to donate blood at an upcoming event and you’ll get one ticket to a 2019 home game while supplies last.
Donors must complete the screening process on either Friday or Dec. 1 at a donor center location to receive a ticket. In addition to the free ticket, donors will be entered to win one of two pairs of Bose headphones or one of four VIP ticket prize packages, which include two lower-level tickets to the game on Dec. 15, as well as a parking pass and two VIP pregame tunnel access passes.
“The blood supply in the Northern Virginia area right now is very serious,” said Heather Wade, donor recruitment manager at Inova Blood Donor Services. They provide 90% of area hospitals with blood products, she said.
“We are looking for donors of every blood type to come out to help restock the shelves,” Wade said. “We really want to be able to get some of our most fragile folks transfused before the holidays so they can go home and make some memories.”
While all types of blood are needed, Inova is in dire need of Type O-positive and Type O-negative blood as well as Type AB blood platelets.
Some recent traumas in the area have contributed to the low blood supply, Wade said, including difficult childbirths. “And our cancer patients — folks going through chemotherapy — also require platelet transfusions, because it helps with clotting,” she said.
“So in terms of emergencies, the day to day car accidents, traumatic childbirth — anything where it’s obviously an unplanned medical situation.”
Currently, all of the red blood types are below the levels needed to ensure that there is an adequate supply for the 4.3 million residents in the D.C. area, according to Wade.
“That’s why blood donors are so critical in helping us provide exceptional future care,” Wade said.
Winners of the headphones and VIP game packages will be drawn and notified of their winnings on Dec. 2 and must reply by Dec. 4, or other winners will be selected.
“We would like for new blood donors and our existing donors to please come out,” Wade said. “Your 16 minutes of time will save up to three lives here in our local area. Where can you go and spend a little bit of time with your feet up knowing that you are going to give someone a priceless gift, a second chance at life?”
