Save the Date: USA Wrestling to partner with Fox21 and Vitalant for blood drive to celebrate Donate Life Month in April

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Wrestling, the national governing body for Olympic wrestling in the United States, is excited to announce its efforts to support National Donate Life Month in April with a blood drive, set for April 22 from 6 a.m.–10 a.m. MT at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Observed in April each year, National Donate Life Month helps raise awareness about donation, encourages Americans to register as organ, eye, tissue and blood donors and honors those that have saved lives through the gift of donation.

USA Wrestling will partner with Vitalant, the nation’s largest independent nonprofit blood services provider, and Fox21, a local news station for the drive. Fox21 will host its daily morning show from the event from 5 a.m.-10 a.m. MT with an exciting lineup of interviews and storylines highlighting the wrestling community.

Only 40 slots are available for the in-person blood drive, and a link to sign up will be released Thursday, April 7. Donors must be 18 years older or 16 with a signed permission form from a parent or guardian.

There will also be a virtual blood drive available April 7-30 for those who are not local to Colorado or those that miss the limited sign-up for the event at the USOPM. Vitalant’s virtual blood drive option makes it easy for donors to give blood in support of USA Wrestling when and where it’s convenient for them. Simply pledge to give blood in honor of USA Wrestling and make an appointment at a Vitalant location. If there is not Vitalant donation center near you, please consider donating with another center.

VIRTUAL BLOOD DRIVE

Blood donors are crucial to the survival of hundreds of thousands of Americans yearly.

Below are some facts on the lifesaving impact of blood donors:

• All blood types are urgently needed to help patients across Colorado and beyond. Type O blood is the most transfused blood type and is what emergency room personnel reach for when there is not time to determine a patient’s blood type.
• There is also an urgent need for platelets, which are primarily given to cancer patients. Platelets have a short shelf life and must be transfused within a week.
• One in 7 hospitalized patients needs a blood transfusion in the U.S. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion.
• In 2021, more than 41,000 organ transplants were performed in the U.S., according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Transplant patients depend on red blood cells, platelets or plasma – or all three – to support their recovery.
• In Colorado, Vitalant needs to collect more than 450 units each day to meet patient needs across the state. One donation has the potential to save three lives.

For more information on blood donation or Vitalant and its mission, visit Vitalant’s website, which also includes a list of donation sites.