St. Catherine’s annual winter Red Cross blood drive is scheduled on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 from 1:00 pm - 6:45 pm in Marian Hall. The need for donated blood is critical, You may be eligible to donate if you are at least 17 years old, in good general health and weigh at least 110 pounds. If you have questions about your eligibility, contact the Red Cross web site a www.redcross.org/donate/give. We need you!

• A few facts about the need for blood in the US and Canada.
• 43-pints of blood are administered each day.
• About 1 of every 7 people admitted to a hospital needs blood.
• 1 pint can save up to 3 lives.
• Shortages of blood occur primarily in the summer and in the winter.
• There is no substitute for human blood.
• About 37% of the American population is eligible to donate, but only 10% donate blood
• If only 1% more American people would donate, there would not be a shortage!
• The process includes registration and screening, the actual donation, a brief resting period afterward, and there will be homemade goodies to snack on. Plan about an hour and a half for the process; the actual donation takes about 15 minutes.