Got a Free Hour? What Would You Do? - Celebrating blood donors during National Blood Donor Week June 11-16

OTTAWA, June 11, 2012 /CNW/ - To many Canadians, one free hour could mean hanging out with loved ones, a workout at the gym, or even…saving a life. What would you do? For nearly 420,000 Canadians who call themselves blood donors, the answer is easy - donate blood.

Canadian Blood Services surveyed 1,000 Canadians nation-wide to see what they would do if given the gift of one free hour. In a recent poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid we found:

• 69% of respondents said they would spend time with their loved ones
• 26% would save a life through blood donation
• 3% would go to the gym
• 2% would hit some golf balls.

Canadian Blood Services is celebrating National Blood Donor Week from June 11-16 by thanking blood donors for choosing to spend their free hour with us. The theme for National Blood Donor Week is "The Power of Many" - because in most cases, it takes more than just one blood donor to help save the life of a Canadian who needs blood. But what compels our donors to do this?

Respondents were asked what they thought was the biggest motivator to donate blood:

• 52% answered a loved one needed blood
• 23% answered it's a free and way to give back
• 20% know someone who did/does donate blood
• 3% heard it on the news
• 2% heard it through work

Know what else we found? Check out these answers…

MYTH?	FACT
57% believe women donate more blood than men.	False. Based on the last 12 months, men donate more frequently than women. That's OK, ladies, there's still time to catch up.
56% believe Eastern Canadians donate more blood than Western Canadians	False. It's a tie - Eastern and Western Canadians donate the same.
78% believe older Canadians donate more blood than younger Canadians	True. As Canadians age, and become more wise, they donate more frequently. Donors between the ages of 66-70 donate almost two times more frequently than those ages 17-19.
75% believe the top situation where blood is needed is for car accidents	True. It takes up to 50 donors to help someone in a car accident. See what other situations blood is needed: Up to 8 donors a week to help someone with leukemia Up to 5 donors  to save someone who needs cardiovascular surgery Up to 2 to 8 donors to help someone with internal bleeding Up to 2 donors a day to help someone undergoing a bone marrow transplant Up to 4 donors a month to help someone with Aplastic Anemia Up to 2 donors for a hip replacement
44% believe people are most likely to become blood donors between 25-34 years	False. 46% of first time donors are between the ages of 17-24.

During this week of celebration, join Canadian Blood Services and help us thank blood donors for all that they do. We encourage you to join us and book an appointment to help someone in need. Go online at www.blood.ca or call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) to book an appointment.

Polling was commissioned by Canadian Blood Services and took place between May 22 and May 28, 2012 with a margin of error of 5%.

About Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. Canadian Blood Services also oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, and provides national leadership for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Canadian Blood Services operates 42 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. The provincial and territorial Ministries of Health provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system.

To book an appointment or for more information, visit us at www.blood.ca or call 1 888 2 DONATE.

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Media Contact:

Paul McGrath
Communications Manager, National
Canadian Blood Services
Tel: [phone]
Email: [email protected]