Legionnaires asked to give blood

Legionnaires asked to give blood

The American Red Cross estimates that more than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day in the United States to meet the demand for blood. That equates to, roughly, one donation every two seconds. Through The American Legion Blood Donor Program, departments, posts and Legionnaires everywhere are encouraged to help in the fight to meet this enormous demand.

Founded in 1942, the Legion’s Blood Donor Program honors departments that excel in two categories: overall individual Legionnaire blood donation within the department, and participation from posts in that department. Legionnaires participate by giving blood and reporting it to their posts, which mark the donation on their annual Consolidated Post Reports (CPRs). Posts participate by hosting blood drives and listing the number of donors in attendance on their CPRs.

Awards are announced at the national convention for the two categories according to highest percentage of participating Legionnaires (in comparison to overall membership in the department) and most posts participating in the department. Due to varying membership sizes, departments are split into six categories:

  • Category 1 (100,000-plus members) — California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania
  • Category 2 (70,000 to 99,999 members) — Maryland, Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin
  • Category 3 (40,000 to 69,999 members) — Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia
    Category 4 (25,000 to 39,999 members) — Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia
  • Category 5 (10,000 to 24,999 members) — Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Vermont
  • Category 6 (less than 10,000 members) — Alaska, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Wyoming

Where to donate:

Posts that want to host a blood drive should visit the Red Cross’ blood drive registration page at www.redcrossblood.org/hosting-blood-drive.