One Great Minnesota Tradition Begets Another

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ONE GREAT MINNESOTA TRADITION BEGETS ANOTHER

The Minnesota Twins and the American Red Cross Host Community Blood Drive Friday, August 11

Blood donors receive two complimentary Twins tickets, eligible for autographed baseball

SAINT PAUL, Minn. (August 8, 2006) – The Minnesota Twins and the American Red Cross have teamed up to boost summer blood supplies by hosting a blood drive on Friday, August 11 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Metrodome on Kirby Puckett Place directly across from the Twins Ticket Office. The lifesaving partnership is a first for both organizations, paying homage to two great Minnesota traditions – baseball and blood donation.

Donors with advance appointments are guaranteed two complimentary general admission tickets for the August 11 Twins game against the Toronto Blue Jays and are eligible to win one of 10 Justin Morneau autographed baseballs.

To guarantee complimentary tickets and eligibility for a Justin Morneau autographed baseball, donors must make a blood donation appointment by calling 1.800.GIVE.LIFE or online at givebloodgivelife.org, click on “Donate Blood” and enter sponsor code “MNTWINS.” Walk-in donors will be accommodated if there are open time slots, but cannot be guaranteed. A blood donor card or driver’s license required at check-in. Donors must be at least 17 years old and must weigh at least 110 pounds.

Someone needs blood approximately every two seconds in the United States. Of the 60 percent of the population eligible to donate, just 5 percent actually do. All blood types are needed at this time, especially type O negative. O negative blood is the “universal” blood type. It is commonly used for transfusions in trauma patients, especially when there isn’t time to determine the patient’s actual blood type.

ABOUT THE RED CROSS

The Mid-America Division of the American Red Cross supplies blood products to more than 250 hospitals in 10 states and across the nation. It relies on the generosity of more than 800,000 volunteer blood donors, nearly 6,200 blood drive coordinators and more than 1,800 employees to collect the blood that helps save thousands of lives each year. The Mid-America Division is one of 11 Red Cross Blood Services divisions located throughout the United States. Together, these divisions collect nearly half the nation’s blood supply.

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