Christ Church-Oak Brook plans monthly blood drives
Versiti Blood Center of Illinois collected 23 units of blood from donors at Christ Church Oak Brook on Aug. 6, which can save the lives of up to 69 people, said Versiti administrators.
"We truly appreciate this new partnership. During this time - each and every unit is crucial. And with everything going on - we really appreciate how the church went the extra mile to help us save so many lives," said Camille Piazza, account representative at Versiti. "We can no longer count on employees at area businesses, students from local high schools and colleges and big events with hundreds and hundreds of donors like we used to.
"It is very scary to us and our blood supply. We are looking to churches like Christ Church Oak Brook to consistently help us fill in the gaps," she said.
Versiti says that since the national quarantine due to COVID-19 more than 600 blood drives were canceled, and for the blood drives still scheduled donors numbers are way down.
Twenty-three units of blood is considered a successful drive during this challenging season, so much so that plans are being discussed for a monthly drive at Christ Church Oak Brook.
Versiti works with more than 70 hospitals in the Chicago region to keep donated blood within the area.
To ensure donor safety at all donor centers and community blood drives, Versiti has implemented increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures based upon the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
In addition, Versiti requires all employees and donors to wear cloth face coverings. The temperature and clinical symptoms of all potential blood donors and staff is also taken.
Throughout the year, Christ Church offers a number of public service events, including a food pantry.
For more information about Christ Church, visit ChristChurch.us.
Weekend worship services are currently livestreamed on Sundays at 9 a.m. for Classic and 10:45 a.m. for Contemporary.
The church has implemented a soft reopening plan, which includes limited outdoor worship.
Founded in 1965, Christ Church is a multisite, nondenominational church in the Chicago suburbs with more than 6,000 members. Christ Church features a variety of inspiring worship options including classic, classic communion and contemporary services. All people are offered the opportunity to build life-changing relationships with God and one another with a rich range of spiritual growth resources, and a selection of service ministries aimed at creating positive change in the world. Weekend services are held at the Oak Brook and Butterfield (formerly Downers Grove) locations, as well as via livestream at ChristChurch.us/online.