OMNI College Joins “Partners For Life” With Canadian Blood Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 10, 2012: OMNI College today announced that it has signed on as a Partners for Life organization with Canadian Blood Services. Organizations who participate in the Partners for Life program pledge to donate a certain number of units of blood each year.
Every minute of every day someone in Canada will need blood or blood products. And while roughly 1 out of every 2 people are eligible to give blood, only about 1 out of 60 actually do.
The College will be holding its very first blood donation event for students and staff on the afternoon of Friday, July 13th, 2012.
“This is an excellent opportunity to work together as a team towards a very important goal,” says Jade Burke, President at OMNI. “This initiative is an opportunity for staff and students to give back to their communities in a unique way.”
Jade has her own personal story with regard to the importance of blood donation. In 2008, after the birth of her first child, unexpected complications led to severe postpartum hemorrhaging. Over the course of 22 hours, she had to receive a staggering 30 units of blood in order to keep her alive. “It saved my life,” she says. “The complications took us completely by surprise. There were no warnings. Then suddenly I needed blood and my life depended on it. If it hadn’t been for the blood given to me that night, I would simply not be alive today”.
As a Partners for Life organization, OMNI has pledged to donate at least 20 units of blood in 2012. “We hope to increase this each year going forward,” says Jade, “because you really never know when you or a loved one is going to need it – we certainly didn’t”.
Every student, graduate and staff member – as well as their friends and family members – are welcome to join the team by registering online with the OMNI Partner ID # OMNI013111 at https://blood.ca/en/ways-donate/donate-partner. By registering just once, all future donations will be automatically added to OMNI’s group total.
To donate blood in your own community, call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or visit www.blood.ca for a list of clinic locations and hours in your area.
For further questions about this blood donation initiative, please contact OMNI’s Partners for Life program champion, Jade Burke, at OMNI College.
