Published: July 07, 2009 03:21 pm      

Blood drive benefits Stratford resident

Stratford Freewill Baptist Church will partner with Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) on Sunday, July 12 for a blood drive to benefit Gary Carter.

All healthy, Stratford-area residents, age 17 and older, are encouraged to participate from noon to 3 p.m. in the Family Life Center, 101 Church Street.

Blood donation credits from this drive will be offered to Carter’s family to help defer the cost of blood needed by Carter.

All donors will receive two tickets to the Oklahoma City Zoo and a free T-shirt, along with free health screenings and Members for Life points to redeem at OBI’s online store.

All donors will have the opportunity to forgo receiving a donor T-shirt in favor of Oklahoma Blood Institute making a financial contribution of similar value to American Cancer Society.

“Less than 10 percent of the eligible population actually donates,” said John Armitage, M.D., Oklahoma Blood Institute president and chief executive.

“That percentage drops during the summer months, as many Oklahomans are away on vacation or busy with other summer activities. That is why the need is greater now more than ever.”

Donations can be made every 56 days, and OBI provides every drop of blood used by most hospitals statewide.

For more information or to make an appointment to donate in the Stratford Freewill Baptist Church blood drive, contact Kathleen Perry at (580) 759-3313.

Oklahoma Blood Institute is the 11th largest, non-profit blood center in America.

In 2007, more than 127,600 donors provided more than 250,000 gifts of blood used for transfusion and associated clinical services in more than 150 medical facilities in Oklahoma and north central Texas. OBI employs nearly 700 Oklahomans and works with an estimated 800 volunteers and 2,600 drive coordinators.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood at any OBI site, call 1-866-341-8728, or visit www.obi.org to see a list of blood drives and donor centers in your area.