By Anna Oliver, Sr. Director, Donor Recruitment, Vitalant Southwest Division
Find Vitalant on Facebook & Instagram: @VitalantAZ
World Blood Donor Day is June 14, which is a great time to think about the importance of blood donation and the role that Vitalant plays in saving lives in our community. Vitalant is Arizona’s largest non-profit community blood provider, responsible for fulfilling the needs of every hospital in Maricopa County and 90% statewide. More than 600 blood donors are needed every day for patients in the 62 Arizona hospitals depending upon Vitalant blood donors. To meet that need, Vitalant operates eight Valley donation centers and works with blood drive sponsors to host up to 20 blood drives every day across the state.
About 50% of Arizona’s blood supply comes from blood drives sponsored by businesses, schools and churches. As one of the fastest growing states in the country, Vitalant is always looking for more organizations to host blood drives. Last year, volunteer blood drive coordinators from 1,479 organizations organized 3,750 blood drives across Arizona, which provided 94,773 donations. Because blood can be separated into components to benefit multiple patients, those donations saved nearly a quarter million lives!
Arizona blood donors help Phoenix patients like Jaziel, who battled childhood leukemia three times with the help of 134 blood donors. He was just seven years old when he was first diagnosed. “My childhood was interrupted by cancer,” says Jaziel. “Having had cancer for six long, extremely emotional years, I can say I always knew I wasn’t alone thanks to my generous blood donors.” Now a survivor, he is able to use his experience to give hope to other kids fighting for their lives. Thanks in part to blood donors, Jaziel recently realized his dream of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse in the very hospital unit where his life was saved.
Summer is a difficult time to maintain Arizona’s blood supply, especially around holiday weeks when donations often drop by as much as 25%. You might be surprised to know that teens make up Arizona’s largest blood donor group, providing one out of every six blood donations (and transfusions). Now that schools are closed for summer recess, additional blood drives are needed to bridge the gap. While donor vacations reduce the number of people giving blood, heavy traffic on the roads and highways increases the potential for accidents and the need for blood.
Vitalant is ramping up efforts to increase summer blood donations with some exciting campaigns. For locations and appointments, visit vitalant.org, download the Vitalant App or call 877-25-VITAL (877-25-VITAL).
- Volkswagen Raffle: All May 23 – Sept 7 blood donors are automatically entered to win a 2025 VW Taos S, donated by our Valley Volkswagen dealers.
- Arizona’s Largest Blood Drive: Saving Arizona Event, Sunday, July 6, 7:00 am – 1:00 pm, Tempe Center for the Arts (details & appointments: vitalant.org/SaveAZ)