For the ninth consecutive year the American Red Cross is teaming up with family and friends and Marceline Fire and Rescue to host a blood drive in memory of Zach Cupp on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Walsworth Community Center, 124 Ritchie, in Marceline.
In August 2012, Zach Cupp was only 17 years old when he was killed in a car accident. After the crash, he received several pints of blood during surgery. Zach’s parents, Matt and Laurie Cupp have organized this annual blood drive in his memory the last eight years as a way of giving back to the community. They hope the efforts of drawing awareness to blood donations inspire others to donate for patients in need. 1,180 blood donations have been collected over the past seven years.
“We are so grateful for the outpouring of community support in Zach’s memory,” said Matt, Zach’s father. “This truly is a way to keep his memory alive and for us to give back to the community.”
This drive comes as the Red Cross has an urgent need for blood and encourages healthy individuals to schedule and keep blood donation appointments in the weeks ahead to ensure a stable supply for patients throughout this coronavirus pandemic. All donors are required to wear a face-covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance.
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including temperature checks, social distancing, and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to protect the health of all those in attendance.
Those who come to give blood, platelets, or AB Elite plasma Aug. 1-Sept. 3, 2020, will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card* via email, on behalf of Amazon.
It’s important to remember that red blood cells must be transfused within 42 days of donation and platelets within just five days. So, they must constantly be replenished. There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus, and the Red Cross urgently needs the help of donors and blood drive hosts to ensure blood products are readily available for patients.
Every two seconds in the United States blood is needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood and more than 2,600 platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,500 hospitals nationwide.
Blood donors of all types are needed. There is no substitute for donated blood products.
Those with types O, A negative and B negative blood are encouraged to make a Power Red donation at this blood drive. Power Red donors give a concentrated dose of red blood cells during a single donation, allowing them to maximize their impact.
How to donate blood
Simply download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
