Heartland Blood Centers offers Students Summer Scholarship Opportunity
Heartland Blood Centers is encouraging blood donation this summer for students and their family and friends with the Students Saving Lives Summer Scholarship program.
This program encourages students 17 to 21 years old to donate blood during the contest period of June 1 to Aug. 31 and enter to win one of five $1,000 scholarships.
An added bonus is that because there is no limit to the number of entries for a student, any family or friend can donate on the student's behalf!
Amy Smith, director of donor recruitment for Heartland Blood Centers, says, "Blood donation typically drops this time of year due to schools being out, vacations and other activities taking priority.
"The Student Saving Lives Summer Scholarship program is a win-win because students have an opportunity to earn scholarship money and patient transfusion needs get met during the difficult summer months," Smith said. "As the largest provider of blood in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana area, we must be sure transfusions are ready and available for patients in the 75 hospitals we serve and every donation matters this summer."
Rileigh Fagan, who is a regular Heartland Blood Centers student donor, is excited about the opportunity. She says, "If it wasn't for scholarship dollars, I would not be attending the nursing school I currently attend. I am looking forward to inviting my friends and family to participate in this program and hopefully win one of the scholarships."
For information, complete program rules or to schedule an appointment, visit www.heartlandbc.org. You can also schedule your life-saving appointment by texting SCHOLAR to 444-999 or calling (800) 786-4483.
Heartland Blood Centers, established in 1943, is a nonprofit, independent blood center serving the Greater Chicago area and Northwest Indiana. They provide service to 75 hospitals in 12 counties including Kane, McHenry, DeKalb, Will, DuPage, Cook, Grundy, Kendall, Lee, Ogle and LaSalle in Illinois, and Lake County in Indiana. Heartland operates under a volunteer donor system with the goal of collecting more than 160,000 units of blood annually. Its first commitment is to meet local blood needs and 100 percent of blood donated is returned to the communities served by the blood center.
As participants in a nationwide resource sharing program, Heartland stands ready to assist other parts of the country during severe blood shortages, national emergencies and increased demands by the armed services. For more information about Heartland or how to donate blood, visit www.heartlandbc.org or call (800) 7 TO-GIVE.