LifeStream, the exclusive provider of blood products and services to all Coachella Valley hospitals, kicks-off its sixth annual Nine Cities Challenge Blood Drive. The valley-wide blood drive, from July 1—31, is critically important to keep the Coachella Valley’s available blood supply at ample levels during the summer months. As the population decreases by 30 percent resulting in significantly fewer donations, the critical need for donations increases due to added vacation travel and summer activities.
This year’s theme “If We All Do A Little, We Can Change A Lot” is about community. “By joining together in the promotion of this campaign,” notes Dr. Rick Axelrod, president and CEO of LifeStream, “we know we can all agree on one thing: the real winners will be our local hospital patients and area accident victims.”
This year, LifeStream has introduced the “ExpressPass” feature for donating blood during the upcoming Nine Cities Challenge Blood Drive. The “ExpressPass” allows potential donors on the day-of-their-donation to save time in the donation process by completing the required pre-donation reading and health history questions before arriving at the donation site. This new feature makes donating faster and easier than in previous years. For a tutorial and day-of donation registration, visit lstream.org/expresspass/.
Below are locations, dates and times to donate:
• Palm Desert: July 7, Community Center, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Coachella: July 12, Bagdouma Park Community Center, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Cathedral City: July 13, Senior Center, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• La Quinta: July 14, Wellness Center, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Rancho Mirage: July 18, Public Library, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Palm Springs: July 19, Palm Springs High School, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Indian Wells: July 20, Indian Wells Golf Resort, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Indio: July 26, Teen Center, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Desert Hot Springs: July 28, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• La Quinta Donor Center: July 1—31, donate on behalf of your city, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
For more information and to set an appointment, call 800-879-4484 or visit 9CitiesChallenge.com.
For added fun and camaraderie, all those who donate at the above locations receive a ticket voucher to Wet ‘n’ Wild Palm Springs, a coupon for four free Jack in the Box tacos, and a red #9CitiesChallenge wristband. In addition, donors are encouraged to take their photo or video on location, displaying the wristband and sharing it on social media – encouraging and challenging family, friends, colleagues, and other companies/organizations to donate. All donors are automatically eligible to win a 2017 Harley-Davidson XL883. Winner must be at least 18 years of age. For a complete set of rules, visit lstream.org/harley/.
If donors are not able to attend on the day the drive is in their city, donors are encouraged to visit the La Quinta Donor Center; simply provide which city you live or work in and your donation will go toward your city’s challenge total. In addition to the main drives, all drives during July, including all businesses and organizations that organize their own drives, will count toward each city’s total. For additional mobile drive opportunities to assist your community during the challenge, contact LifeStream at 800-879-4484 or visit: LStream.org.