Give the Gift of Life During Annual Blood Drive Campaign

Give the Gift of Life During Annual Blood Drive Campaign

Donors Will Receive Comcast On Demand Movie Coupons For Donating On January 27 Young Sports Fans Ages 13-18 Can Audition for Comcast SportsNet Celtics TV Gig

BOSTON, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- For the sixth year in a row, the American Red Cross, NECN and Comcast have joined together to help patients in need by increasing the blood supply and raising awareness about the ongoing need for blood donors.

The "Celebrate the Gift of Life" blood drive campaign runs throughout the winter months when blood supplies are often critically low due to severe weather and flu season. Patients in area hospitals need blood every day, and just one pint of blood from a donor can help save up to three lives. With the "Celebrate the Gift of Life" campaign, the Red Cross is better able to keep blood on hospital shelves so it is available when it is most needed.

On Wednesday, January 27, the Red Cross is hosting blood drives across New England to help collect blood for patients in need. On that day, NECN's Matt Noyes and Latoyia Edwards will be broadcasting live from the Red Cross' Dedham Donor Center throughout the day.

NECN sister network Comcast SportsNet will be hosting on-site FanCaster auditions from 7 to 9 am and 3 to 5 pm at the Dedham Donor Center and will select one young sports fan, age 13-18, to appear in an upcoming Celtics telecast. SportsNet Central anchors Carolyn Manno and Kevin Walsh will be on-site to provide coaching to the kids as they audition.

Additionally, Comcast will be holding blood drives for its employees at office locations throughout New England this week and has been airing Public Service Announcements about the ongoing need for blood all month. To encourage customers to help support the community blood supply, Comcast is offering an On Demand movie coupon to anyone who donates blood at one of the following public blood drive sites on Wednesday, January 27:

Newton Free Library
330 Homer Street
Newton, MA | 1pm-6pm

Marlboro Masonic Lodge
8 Newton Street
Marlboro, MA | 2:30pm-7:30pm

Knights of Columbus Hall
27 School Street Extension
Wilmington, MA | 2pm-7pm

American Red Cross
Springfield Donor Center
3500 Main Street
Springfield, MA |12pm-7pm

Baalis Sanford Lodge
279 Prospect Boulevard
Brockton, MA | 1pm-6:30pm

The Hotel Northampton
36 King Street
Northampton, MA | 12pm-7pm

Millbury VFW
16 South Main Street
Millbury, MA | 1pm-7pm

Knights of Columbus Hall
462 Broadway
Methuen, MA | 2pm-7pm

Rockland Holiday Inn
929 Higham Street
Rockland, MA | 12:30pm-5:30pm

Knights of Columbus Hall
177 Bedford Street
Lexington, MA | 2pm-7:30pm

Hard Rock Cafe
24 Clinton Street
Boston, MA | 11am-5pm

American Red Cross
Dedham Donor Room
180 Rustcraft Road
Dedham, MA | 6am-7pm

To make an appointment to donate blood at a "Celebrate the Gift of Life" blood drive on January 27, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or log onto RedCrossBlood.org.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has been a primary supplier of lifesaving blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. The American Red Cross Blood Services -- Northeast Division supplies a wide range of blood components, plasma derivatives, and transfusion services to over 300 hospitals and other medical facilities throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. It serves the blood needs of more than 9 million residents and many thousand more who travel to New England for care at many of the nation's top medical centers.

Source: Comcast Cable

CONTACT: Melissa Quinlan, American Red Cross, +1-781-461-2033,
quinlanme@usa.redcross.org; or Doreen Vigue, Comcast, +1-978-848-5650,
doreen_vigue@cable.comcast.com; or Skip Perham, NECN, +1-781-879-9034,
sperham@necn.com

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

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