Acadiana's first responders and Vitalant are asking the community to pitch in and donate blood this January as part of a friendly competition.
January is National Blood Donor Month and is one of the most difficult times of the year to collect enough blood to meet the needs of communities due to inclement weather and cold and flu season.
First responders in Acadiana are uniting for the 3rd Annual First Responders Sirens for Life Blood Drive Competition. To show your support for your favorite first responder group, visit the Vitalant donation center on one of the following days and donate in their honor.
- Wednesday, January 8 from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Thursday, January 9 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Friday, January 10 from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM
The donation center is located at 1503 Bertrand Drive in Lafayette.
Donors will receive a t-shirt. Food will be served from Meche's Donuts, Zea, McAllister's Deli, and Chick-Fil-A.
Schedule your appointment to donate at vitalant.org or call 877-25VITAL.
Blood donation takes about an hour from check-in to refreshments. Donors can save about 20 minutes by completing their Fast Track Health History the day they donate. It's at vitalant.org.
Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Additional height/weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 and 17 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian.
Last year, the first responder groups who won for the most blood donor participants were the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office and the Iberia Parish Police Department.
