American Red Cross Month- March 10th

So it's Saturday night and I know the last thing we are thinking about is blood donation. Regardless, I think it is still important to keep in mind that while we are enjoying our weekend, there are still people in need of blood transfusions. 

Speaking of needing blood transfusions, the average transfusion requires not only 1, but 3 pints of blood. That means on average 3 donors contribute to saving 1 life. So 3 donors had to do their part by donating blood to save 1 life. Because of this, you should donate blood and take your friends with you! The demand alone is reason enough, but add this statistic and you have the best reason of all.

Tomorrow may be Sunday, but there are still people striving to make a difference through collecting blood donations. Here are tomorrow's (March 11th) blood donations around the state of South Carolina:*

Round Hill Baptist Church- Lexington

Leesville United Methodist Church- Batesburg-Leesville

Dorchester Presbyterian Church- Summerville

*All dates and locations were obtained via the official American Red Cross Website.

American Red Cross Month- March 9th

There is always a demand for blood, no matter what time of year it is. Blood donations happen by the thousands everyday and you could be a part of that! All it takes is a little over an hour of  your time and you would be doing your part to save lives! It couldn't be simpler.

Something that I personally think is interesting is how quickly blood donations are utilized after the blood has been collected from the donor. On average, a red cell blood donation is used within 42 days after the donation has taken place. That in itself is a true testament to how much of a demand there is. With a blood donation being used so quickly, it's only natural that more would be needed as soon as possible. That's where you come in! You can help replenish the blood supply! 

Here are tomorrow's (March 10) blood drives around the state of South Carolina.* It's Saturday, so take time out of your day off to save lives with the simple gift of giving blood!

Walmart-Conway

American Red Cross Blood Donor Centers- Columbia, Florence, Charleston, and Mt. Pleasant

*All dates and locations were obtained via the official American Red Cross website.

American Red Cross Month- March 8th

Once you donate blood once, I have no doubt you will want to donate again. There is nothing that can replace the feeling of joy that comes after you realize that you are a real life hero who has just saved a life, or multiple lives, through the simple process of a blood donation. National American Red Cross Month is a time for advocacy and promotion of the process of blood donation, so that more people will become first time donors and add to the millions of blood donations that are collected each year.

After the first donation, I guarantee you will be curious as to when you can donate again. You can make a whole blood donation every 8 weeks. That means you can donate blood up to 6 times a year! That's 6 blood donations, which means 6 or more lives saved! Yes, I know it's an awesome thing! There are multiple drives held each day around the state, making donation sites accessible. It's only up to you to make the time to visit. Take the time out of your day every 8 weeks to be a hero. Donate blood, save a life!

Here are tomorrow's (March 9th) blood drives around the state of South Carolina:*

Blaney Elementary School- Elgin

Trinity Methodist Church-York

*All donation locations were obtained via the official American Red Cross website.

American Red Cross Month- March 7th

We are officially 7 days in to National American Red Cross Month! Have you done your part to make a difference yet? If not, you still have a few more weeks to do so! Get out there and save a life!

As if regular blood donation wasn't enough, there yet another method of blood donation, providing you a different option to save lives! In addition to the traditional whole blood donation where every blood component is donated, there is another method called apheresis. Apheresis is when just one particular blood component is donated. Through this method, you can donate either red cells, plasma, or platelets separately. So if you don't like the idea of donating a whole pint of blood at one time, you have the option to only donate one component. More options, more choices, what's not to like about that?

Now that you know that you have more options, get out there and take advantage of them! Here are tomorrow's (March 8th) blood drives around the state of South Carolina!*

Staples-Columbia (300 Arbor Lake Drive Location)

Grand Strand Santee Cooper- Myrtle Beach

*Dates were obtained via the official American Red Cross website.

American Red Cross Month- March 6th

Another day of American Red Cross Month has come and gone! Many lives were saved today through the generous donations of people around the nation. Were you a contributor? If not, you still have a chance! March is far from over.

We always hear that 1 blood donation can save up to 3 lives, but you may be thinking how is that possible?! Here's how! There are 4 types of transfusable products that can come from a blood donation: red cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate, which is prepared from the plasma. Just 1 donation can produce 2-3 of these products, all of which can be used separately thus saving up to 3 lives! I don't know about you, but I don't need anymore convincing to get into the donor's seat! Donate blood, save 3 lives!

You can start saving lives tomorrow! Here are March 7th's blood drives in South Carolina!*

Colonial Life Arena- Columbia

Horry County Complex- Conway

*Drive dates and locations were obtained via the official website for the American Red Cross.

American Red Cross Month-March 5th

As I previously mentioned, March is national American Red Cross Month! I'm super excited about this because it provides me with the perfect opportunity to reach out to everyone and raise awareness for blood donation through the Red Cross! Each day, I will be sharing interesting facts and upcoming blood drives so everyone will have the opportunity to donate and be a hero! How exciting is that?! 


Did you know that every 2 seconds, someone in the United States is in need of  a blood donation? That means you have over 43,000 opportunities to save a life each day! Who wouldn't want to be a real-life superhero? Through a simple, painless donation that takes a little more than an hour, you can provide someone with the gift of life! What are you waiting for? Donate blood!


So, where can you go to donate? Well, here's the cool part. I've done the research for you, all you have to do is go! Here are tomorrow's blood drives around the state of South Carolina!
*Tuesday, March 6th
Invista (Lugoff)
North Central High School (Kershaw)
Springfield Middle School (Fort Mill)
Circle Fire Department (Batesburg-Leesville)
Hyde Park Baptist Church (Lancaster)
*All dates were obtained via the American Red Cross official website.


I hope  that I can reach out to many and motivate you all to donate. It is a wonderful experience, fit for a real-life hero!

I've seen it from four points of view!

Through this week of midterms, essays, and packing for Spring Break, knowing that I would be able to make my way back to Hartsville this weekend kept me going! Last night marked another first in my book. Now, I can truly say I've experienced a pageant from four different points of view. I've been in the audience, competed on the stage, served as the emcee, and as of last night, I have had a seat behind the judges' table. I judged my first pageant, Miss Hartsville High School 2012, yesterday and I will be the first to tell you that the group of girls didn't make my job easy! Each and every girl had her own spunk and it was blast watching all of them command the stage with their beauty and gorgeous dresses. When it was all said and done, Sarah Floyd was crowned Miss Hartsville High School! Judging is a totally different experience than any other I've had. It's like being an audience member, yet you have the job of picking the winners. It's a tough, tough job and it really enabled me to obtain the utmost respect for each and every judge. I will have a completely different outlook from now on when I step in front of a panel of judges, for now I have a true feel for how hard their job can actually be!

In true Miss South Carolina fashion, there were some local queens in attendance to support the event, which is one of the main fundraisers for the Hartsville High School prom. A few of us took a moment to snap a quick picture after the crowning of the new Miss HHS, including my Miss Hartsville sister Mika Friday, Miss Pageland Teen Kerri Gardner, and the newly crowned Miss Society Hill Bethany Johnson! Participating in the Miss South Carolina system is really such a wonderful experience, merely because of the family that we truly become. 

Not only is March a busy month in general, it's also one of the most exciting for me and my platform! In 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt declared March as Red Cross Month, the time of year for heavy emphasis to be placed on donations in many forms towards the American Red Cross. With my platform being blood donation through the American Red Cross, this is especially exciting for me! The Red Cross provides an astounding 40% of the nation's blood supply, and it is only through the work of volunteers and generous donors that this can happen! In honor of Red Cross month and in my efforts to promote their wonderful cause as I make my journey to Miss South Carolina, every day during the month of March, I will be sharing facts, statistics, and blood drives with which you can get involved! I look forward to helping make this month one of the most productive months of the year for the Red Cross! For more information on the American Red Cross and blood donations, visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/!