A recent community blood drive hosted by KPRC-TV Channel 2 and community partners, Houston Christian University and Energy Transfer, helped the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center fulfill its mission of saving lives.
A host of community blood drives held the week of June 8 resulted in 1,640 successful blood donations with each blood donation potentially able to save three lives.
“KPRC 2 Community is positively impacting our neighbors and saving lives, as demonstrated by our Summer Blood Drive with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. We couldn’t be more appreciative of our partners at Houston Christian University and Energy Transfer for their steadfast, enthusiastic support, which helped us secure an impressive 1,640 potentially life-saving blood donations for patients in need,” said Phil Lane, Vice President and General Manager of KPRC 2.
Houston Christian University hosted a donor coach on campus on June 8, inviting faculty, staff, alumni and students to donate blood.
HCU alumnus, Aaron Diehl, a Development Officer in HCU’s Advancement and University Relations Department, helped spread the word on the on-campus blood drive.“We at HCU want to be leaders in our community, we are leaders in our community. We want to show that [by] loving others. Jesus’ greatest command for us is to love others as he loved us,” said Diehl in an KPRC remote interview during the blood drive.
“I’m glad that Houston Christian University is doing this and I am here to give back to the community,” said HCU Alumna Silva Mendez, one of the many individuals who took part in the drive.
Several KPRC promos aired throughout the month of June and co-sponsored by HCU and Energy Transfer, encouraged the community to donate blood at Gulf Coast Regional’s 17 Neighborhood Donor Centers.
According to Community Development Coordinator Melissa Chiu, the organization relies on receiving 1,000 blood donations per day to respond to the needs of 170 hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Gulf Coast region. Donations help the center respond to a range of medical needs from individuals undergoing chemotherapy to trauma patients to victims of car accidents.
Cameron Palmer, Public Relations Specialist for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, hailed the community drive “a success” in raising awareness of the need for blood donors.
“We are delighted to have partnered with Houston Christian University in June, as it provided a tremendous opportunity to save lives. Our collaborative efforts allowed us to extend a helping hand to our community during a time of need and actively raise awareness about the vital importance of blood donations. Thanks to their unwavering commitment, we successfully saved numerous lives within our community,” said Palmer.
For more information on the ongoing need for blood donors, click the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s Neighborhood donation locator link to find a location near you.