Blooooooood…

Dragon*Con has a long history of blood collection, and not only in the panels, pageants, and wrestling ring. In partnership with the Heinlein Society and LifeSouth, over 1000 units have been collected at Dragon*Con to date, with the Heinlein Society blood drives having collected a total of 3,342 units as of July, 2008.

Last year, 450 people offered their time and blood. 384 units were eventually used.

UPDATE 100 people have given blood in the first three hours alone! Come help us surpass Comic-Con and become the largest blood drive in fan convention history!! Extended hours Mon 9AM-4PM, L405 (M).

This year, LifeSouth is doubling the number of nurses and donation stations. All other blood banks in a three-state area have been shut down to provide the resources for Dragon*Con. This will be one of the largest blood drives in Southeast history, with the target being set at a minimum of 600 units.

A person can donate plasma once a week and whole blood every six weeks. all blood types are needed, but negative types are needed the most urgently. If you have A-, B-, or AB-, please make a special effort to come by.

According to the Red Cross, each blood donation can save up to three lives.

It is safe, quick, and you’ll get some cool swag for donating. Previous years have included t-shirts, six-pack coolers, the Heinlein Society donation pin, and best of all, knowing your donation will save someone’s life.

The Blood Drive will be located at the Marriott Marquis on the Marquis Level in room M202 and will be open:

  • Fri-Sun: 10AM – 7PM
  • Mon: 9AM – 3PM

Author of the article

After a lifetime of science fiction and fantasy influences, the last twenty of which have been spent in IT, Geoff Termorshuizen is applying for his Ph.D. in Strategic Security after finishing a B.A in Political Science and M.Sc.'s in Cyber Security and MIS. He currently works as a technical consultant for ACI Worldwide, supporting security and financial payment systems. You can find him at Con either at the the DailyDragon room, or via the EFF track where he has presented panels on digital forensics, privacy, cyberwar, surveillance and technology related politics.