Save a Life. Donate Blood.

Mark your calendars! The second-annual Indiana Statehouse Blood Donor Challenge is Wednesday, Feb. 26. This is an opportunity for the Indiana State Senate, House of Representatives, Legislative Services Agency (LSA) and executive and judicial branches to support the American Red Cross, while enjoying some friendly competition. Whichever department donates the most blood will be awarded a trophy that they will hold onto until next year’s blood drive.

Last year, LSA took the title, but the Indiana Senate Republican Caucus is ready to take on the challenge. In 2013, the Statehouse Blood Drive helped save 165 lives with 55 pints of donated blood. This year, we want to go above and beyond that number.

There are so many people who benefit from blood donations, and every donor has his or her own personal reason for giving blood. Here are some facts about blood needs in the United States:

• Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
  
• More than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day.
  
• One donation can help save the lives of up to three people.
  
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
  
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
  
• Sickle cell disease affects more than 70,000 Americans. About 1,000 babies are born with this disease every year. These patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives.
  
• More than 1.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatments.
  

Although an estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, less than 10 percent actually do each year. We’re encouraging you to support this important cause – whether at the Statehouse Blood Drive or at another drive near your home.

The Statehouse Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the South Atrium of the Indiana Statehouse, located at 200 W. Washington St. in Indianapolis. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages to follow our progress.

To schedule a blood donation appointment at our drive or any other Red Cross drive, click here. Learn more about donating blood by going to the American Red Cross website.