18 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Each Fourth of July holiday, for the past 15 years, the American Red Cross has held a blood drive called Red, White and You. It usually starts before the holiday and sometimes lasts through July 4.
This year, the Red Cross has decided to move the event to the days immediately after the holiday.
“That event will be July 5, 6, and 7. It’s at the Sedgwick County Extention Office,” Shannon Wedge, American Red Cross, said. “For the presenting donor that comes and schedules that appointment, they get a ticket to enter the Sedgwick County Zoo, and then their family members will get a discounted ticket as well.”
Donors will also get a Red, White and You T-shirt.
But Wedge said the Red Cross also needs donors before the July event.
“We’re already starting to see a slump in blood donations,” she said. “We see that slump begin as school lets out, people start scheduling their summer vacations, they start traveling, going to the pool, doing all the things.”
If you can help, schedule your appointment at RedCrossBlood.org.
“Every two seconds, someone in the country needs blood,” Wedge said. “So it’s very vital that we keep blood on the shelves.”