Organizers of a UCF event hope you can drop in for World Blood Donor Day on June 14.
“Drop” is the key word, as everyone who shows up will be asked to be in a photo after the group forms the shape of a giant drop of blood. A photo taken from above will be sent to the World Health Organization, which sponsors World Blood Donor Day.
Participants are asked to wear a red shirt to show their support. Registration in front of the UCF Arena will begin at 11 a.m. and the photo will be taken at 12:10 p.m. Free parking will be available in garages D and F.
Everyone who registers will be included on an electronic “honor wall,” will receive a participation certificate and link to the photo.
“Our local community is invited to join us, and we hope for an amazing turnout that will send a message of support for local heroes who donate blood as well as inspiring others to learn more about blood donation,” said Tee Rogers, a member of the team coordinating the event.
There also will be blood drives during the day at two different university locations: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Student Union, and noon to 6 p.m. at medical school’s campus at Lake Nona.
Afterwards there will be a Red Party at the Sanford Wine Company, 114 S. Palmetto Ave. The social gathering will be from 7 to 9 p.m.
Local partners supporting the day’s events are Florida’s Blood Centers, the Pint Club of Orlando, UCF College of Medicine, UCF Health Services, and BE Orlando.
World Blood Donor Day will be marked with events around the globe to raise awareness of the need for blood donation and to thank all voluntary donors for their life-saving gift of blood.
Anyone may one day need blood for themselves or a loved one, yet less than 40 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate and only about 5 percent of eligible donors give blood.
For details about the local events, contact Rogers at tee.rogers@ucf.edu or 407-823-3094, or click here.