Event: Victory Park Blood Drive – partnering with Methodist Dallas Medical Center and Carter Bloodcare
Date: Friday, May 22nd 10am – 3pm
Location: Valet parking area on Victory Park Ln. and Museum Way
Sign up here!
Over the past three months, people around the country have been uniting to stop the spread of Coronavirus. Food banks and pantries are working around the clock, Manufacturers have pivoted production to help supply life-saving materials, volunteers have assembled tents and cots outside of hospitals to accommodate patient overflow, and the National Guard units have been activated to help gather and deliver supplies. Now it’s your turn! You can play your part in helping those in need on May 22nd as the Carter BloodCare Bus accepts blood donations at Victory Park.
Why you should give:
Donating blood is a simple, quick, and relatively painless act that can make a positive difference in our world. However, less than 10% of eligible donors give. Donations are essential for trauma patients and people undergoing a variety of situations, including surgeries, transplants, chronic illnesses, blood disorders, and cancer, among many more. Your blood donation could be essential in supporting recovery. A single donation can give one to three patients a better chance for survival.
Donating blood takes on average one hour, with approximately 10 minutes being the physical blood draw. New donors will need to undergo a screening process that takes into account their hemoglobin levels, while repeat donors may be subject to an abbreviated screening process.
Giving blood is an impactful act that can be done more than once. By donating, you have the power to save lives. The reward of a blood donation is that you can share something so easily that makes such a significant difference in someone else’s life.
After you give:
After your donation is made, you should avoid doing any physical activity for a minimum of 5 hours. This is to allow your arm time to rest and rebuild strength so that you don’t become sore later on.
In addition to allowing yourself time to rest, you should focus on intaking foods high in iron to help rebuild red blood cells. Foods high in iron include fortified cereals and grains, spinach, green lentils, beans, red meats, and nuts. Orange juice, milk, and yogurt are all good post-donation snacks; additionally they contain folic acid and riboflavin, B-9 and B-2 vitamins, which help to restore red blood cell counts.
You don’t have to look far to find some good post-donation snacks in Victory Park. We suggest Buda Juice, Feed Me Pronto, Freshii, or one of the many other eating establishments just a short distance away (click here for a map and directory of Victory Park).
A note from Carterblood Care:
Public safety is of our utmost priority. All necessary precautions will be taken to ensure everyone involved is safe. We have increased sanitation and sterilization processes, along with social distancing, to comply with the recommended COVID-19 safety precautions. No more than four donors will be allowed on the bus at a time to ensure we keep social distancing – two will be giving blood while two will be in the resting area.
Directional signs will be placed on the outskirts of the neighborhood in order to help direct traffic and indicate the blood drive’s exact location.
For more information on giving blood, visit the Carter Bloodcare webpage.
Sign up here!