Real Salt Lake teaming up with American Red Cross for blood drive

SANDY, Utah (ABC4) — The American Red Cross is teaming up with Real Salt Lake to host a blood drive next week.

The blood drive will be on Monday, May 19, in the Interform Club Room at the America First Field in Sandy from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to contributing to the local blood supply, there will be opportunities to win exclusive Real Salt Lake merchandise through giveaways.

Jeremiah Lafranca, the Executive Director of the American Red Cross Greater Salt Lake Chapter, said that during the summer, there is a greater demand for blood donations. He explained that as more people engage in outdoor activities, there are more trauma events, which increase the need for blood, but at the same time, there are often fewer donors due to summer vacations.

“We’re excited for our community partnership with Real Salt Lake and this drive can make a large impact for those in need of blood transfusion,” said Lafranca. “We often see an increase in the amount of blood needed during summer months, and this gives us an opportunity to get ahead of potential shortages.” 

Real Salt Lake VP of community relations Kyle Schroeder said that the team is excited to host this drive and help the community.

“We worked with Jeremiah and his team, and we have this beautiful venue, and we play games in it, but a lot of times, we want to make sure it’s filled with other activities. This was a perfect opportunity to invite people to our stadium [and] give back,” he said.

He added that players may be stopping by the event where they can.

You can sign up through the Red Cross website or Red Cross Blood Donor App.