Memorial Blood Centers Salutes All Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Volunteers

Memorial Blood Centers Salutes All Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Volunteers

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Memorial Blood Centers celebrates the success of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE) project recently completed for the Huber family of Douglas County, Wisconsin. As a Designated Charity for this event, Memorial Blood Centers also honors the nearly 350 Extreme volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to give the gift of life to someone in need.

EMHE, the Emmy Award-winning reality TV series, begins its seventh season on Sunday evening, September 27, 2009 on the ABC Network (6:00 - 8:00 p.m. CT) with a two-hour premiere featuring the Huber family episode that filmed this past August in the Duluth/Superior area.

"Memorial Blood Centers was honored to be selected to play a role in this life-changing event for the Hubers and to have the opportunity to help change the lives of so many others in the community through the blood drives we held onsite during the filming," said Donald C. Berglund, Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Blood Centers. "This season the show will be focusing on an eco-friendly theme, and since blood is the Ultimate Renewable Resource, Memorial Blood Centers was happy to do our part to help many volunteers make a lasting impact on our community through blood donations."

"With a demand from our local hospital partners to supply over 2,700 units of blood each week, the need for blood donations is constant. The nearly 350 units of blood collected in honor of the Huber family, for example, are already out in the community helping to save lives. And we thank all who made a donation," Berglund said.

During the Extreme event, Memorial Blood Centers conducted five on-site blood drives and registered hundreds of donors, including 50 percent who were donating for the first time. In addition, hundreds of 'EMHE Rain Checks' were distributed to generous volunteers who subsequently made blood donations at one of Memorial Blood Centers' donor centers or a community-sponsored blood drive. By the end of August, nearly 350 Extreme volunteers had donated blood.

If you were not able to join in the Extreme Makeover blood drives, Memorial Blood Centers still needs you. ... For more information about becoming a blood donor, to find a donor center in Minnesota or northwestern Wisconsin, or to make an appointment with Memorial Blood Centers to donate, visit www.MBC.org or call 1-888-GIVE-BLD (888-448-3253). For blood centers in other areas, please visit www.americasblood.org.

About Memorial Blood Centers

Memorial Blood Centers is a locally operated nonprofit organization that supplies life-saving blood and blood components to over 30 hospital partners throughout Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Operating 11 donor centers and conducting hundreds of blood drives each month, Memorial Blood Centers also is a national leader in transfusion medicine, providing expert technical services to clients throughout the U.S. For more information call 888-GIVE BLD or visit www.MBC.org.

About Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

The Emmy award winning reality program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," now in its 7th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

Source: Memorial Blood Centers

CONTACT: Wendy Capetz, Director of Marketing and Development of Memorial
Blood Centers, +1-651-332-7220

Web Site: http://www.mbcm.org/

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