Florida Blood Services, Volunteer Ministers Team up for Blood Drive at the Church of Scientology

Jan. 31, 2012 - PRLog -- TAMPA: Friday, February the 10th, from noon until 6pm, the Church of Scientology of Tampa’s Volunteer Ministers will be hosting a blood drive for Florida Blood Services (FBS) at their Ybor City location – 1911 N. 13th Street in Tampa.

This is their first blood drive of the year and the third one that the Volunteer Ministers have held in Tampa. Similar blood drives have been done at the Church’s facilities in Clearwater for the past decade.

“When I tell people that one pint of blood can save up to three lives, they are flabbergasted, they really have no idea,” said Judy Fagerman, the Director of the Tampa Bay Volunteer Ministers.

FBS estimates that in the course of a lifetime, 1 in 3 people will need blood, however, only 1 in 30 will donate. 1,000 donors are needed every day to meet the needs of the hospitals served by FBS.

“If you or a loved one ever get into a situation where you need blood, you want the blood to be there, and the only way it gets there is by donations,” said Fagerman.

80% of all donations come from planned blood drives. Donated blood helps people recover from auto accidents, acts of violence, cancer treatment and other surgeries and transfusions. Because the component parts of blood can be broken down (into red blood cells, platelets, plasma and white blood cells) and used for specific purposes, one pint can save up to four lives.

Platelets, for example, are one component of the blood that are used to prevent excessive bleeding. Treatments like chemotherapy and radiation destroy platelets and death from excessive bleeding can be a real issue. Therefore, transfusions of platelets are given to people suffering from Leukemia and other cancers greatly increasing their chances of survival.

“This is a simple way to help, it does not take much time, maybe a half hour, and it is something that really makes a difference,” said Fagerman. “L. Ron Hubbard – the founder of Scientology - said in the Code of a Scientologist, that we are to “make the world a saner, better place” and this is one of the ways that we can help our community here in Tampa. Help is our watchword.”

The Volunteer Ministers hope to collect 35 pints on the 10th. For more information, please contact Judy Fagerman at 813-872-0722.