July 13/10 13:54 pm - Cycling for Life: Donate Blood to Save Lives

Posted by Editoress on 07/13/10
 

If they can inspire 100 people to donate blood before August 20th, eight recreational cyclists from Niagara Region could help save up to 300 lives. That's teamwork with significant impact!

It takes just one person giving a single unit of blood to help save up to three lives. Consider, then, the difference even a small group of people can make for someone who needs multiple units of blood for surgery, cancer treatment, therapeutic use, or trauma.

Using the moniker, Cycling for Life, the cyclists (several of them blood donors) were brought together by St. Catharines, Ontario resident, Jeff Dyck. A 33-time blood donor, Jeff sees Cycling for Life as a natural link between his passion for cycling and his dedication for giving blood.

• At a donation launch event at the St. Catharines blood donor clinic, the team were upshifting with enthusiasm about the task ahead, despite the rigours that they may face. The cyclists, every one of them experienced, will cycle five kilometres for every unit of blood that will be given by donors who support their initiative, for a total of 500km. This would see the team reach their targeted goal of 100 units of blood.

• The team will cycle from August 19 to August 20 around parts of Southern Ontario. They will travel starting from Joseph McCaffery Park, in St. Catharines, and touch down at blood donor clinics along the way in Ancaster, London and Port Dover.

• The Cycling for Life team announced their plan and introduced their cycle route on June 14th during National Blood Donor Week (June 14 - 20). This was a day of additional significance because it also began World Blood Donor Day.

• Any donor from Southern Ontario can show their support by making their own donation count toward the team's 100 unit goal. Just register online for Canadian Blood Services' Partners for Life program. Click here and fill out the secure form to join "Partners for Life". Enter CYCL010880 in the Partner ID field for your donations to be counted towards Cycling for Life.

• Cycling for Life is an example of how through teamwork, many more lives can be saved. Sports teams, office colleagues, or a casual group of friends can make all the difference to a patient in need of blood. Groups of donors who would like to learn more about what they can do should call Canadian Blood Services at 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236-6283).