An American Red Cross blood drive is scheduled for Monday, May 1st at the Senoia United Methodist Church from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. This blood drive is co-sponsored by the local church and the Optimist Club of Senoia. If you are unable to give, you are encouraged to notify others who may be able to donate. One blood donation can help save up to three lives.
If you participated in our last two blood drives, you know that we have reintroduced our “famous” grilled cheese sandwiches that were previously eliminated due to concerns regarding COVID-19. We are planning to serve the delicious sandwiches again at the upcoming blood drive in May.
The American Red Cross has made some changes that should bring in more donors. The organization announced an eligibility change that results in allowing some people to give blood who previously could not do so. In alignment with new FDA guidelines, the American Red Cross has updated its donor eligibility for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) related to mad cow disease.
- The Red Cross has eliminated the deferral of donors who spent time in the UK, Ireland or France from 1980 to 2001, who were previously considered to have geographic risk of possible exposure to vCJD.
- The Red Cross has also eliminated the deferral for individuals who received a blood transfusion from certain European countries from 1980 to present.
Those who have questions about their donor record can contact the Red Cross Donor and Client Support Center at 1-866-236-3276.
You are encouraged to make an appointment for the upcoming blood drive either by signing up online (http://www.redcrossblood.org/give) or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). NOTE: If the appointment schedule is full, walk-ins may not be able to donate.
The Senoia United Methodist Church is in the historic district of Senoia and is located at 229 Bridge Street. It is at the intersection of Seavy and Bridge Streets. For those not familiar with the area, you can turn east at the downtown intersection of Main Street and Seavy Street, and go past Matt’s Smalltown Pizza and the Veranda Bed & Breakfast towards the Seavy Street City Park or State Highway 85. The church is on the right – only about 2 blocks east of Main Street.
The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give Blood. ™
These blood drives are held on the first Monday of every three months. The next one is planned for August 7, 2023. Please mark your calendar.
If you would like to learn how you can help in this or another worthwhile project sponsored by the Senoia Optimist Club, please email the club at senoiaoptimistclub@gmail.com. or visit its Facebook page (“Senoia Optimist Club”).
If you would like more information about the Senoia United Methodist Church, please visit its web site at http://senoiaumc.org/ or call the church office at 770-599-3245.
