Remembering the gift of life: #Inhonour

Canadians encouraged to donate blood to honour armed forces

(CANADA) - We need thousands of new blood donors every year and Canadian Blood Services encourages a new generation of donors to pay tribute this month to the men and women who have served or are serving our country by donating blood.

Remembrance Day is a time to honour the contributions of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is also a time to commemorate the strong, historic relationship the Canadian Armed Forces has with the blood system in Canada. During World War II, Canadians began to donate blood to help wounded Canadian service people. The wartime effort proved that Canadians had both the national will and the generosity to sustain a voluntary blood system. Generations of blood donors have continued the giving tradition ever since.

“Canadian Blood Services is proud to work with the Department of National Defence – the department was our first national Partner for Life organization and has been a strong supporter ever since,” says Mark Donnison, vice president donor relations. Partner for Life groups give blood as a team and set an annual pledge for the number of blood donations that their members will contribute each year. In addition to giving blood as an organization, the Department of National Defence helps to inspire Canadians to give blood and save lives. One soldier’s story demonstrates how donors can make a difference.

People have the power to give life by passing on the tradition of giving blood and bringing along family members to donate with them. Eligible donors can book an appointment by downloading the GiveBlood app or by visiting blood.ca.

Quick Facts:

• During the last year of World War II, Canadians donated 890,000 units of blood for use in military hospitals. This generous response gave birth to Canada’s voluntary blood system.
• In 2015, National Defense hopes to contribute at least 5,000 donations from Canadian Armed Forces and civilian employees across the country.
• Canadian Blood Services needs to collect 18,000 units of blood each week to meet the needs of hospital patients.
• Canadian Blood Services needs to recruit 170,000 new donors per year to replace the aging donor base.