Versiti Blood Center of Michigan salutes military heroes on Veterans Day

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Nov. 4, 2019 - PRLog -- On Veterans Day, Versiti Blood Center of Michigan will honor veterans for their dedication to country and commitment to saving lives through blood donation.

"We salute our everyday blood donor heroes for saving lives and we salute our military veterans for their service and sacrifices made," said Dawn Kaiser, area vice president of Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. "Donating blood is a small gesture to honor those to whom we owe so much."

Michigan residents throughout the state are encouraged to thank and honor local veterans by donating blood on Nov. 11 at one of Versiti's eight donor centers or at a local community blood drive:

Grand Rapids: 1036 Fuller NE
Kalamazoo Area: 524 E. Milham Ave., Portage
Saginaw: 1771 Tittabawassee Road
Traverse City: 2575 Aero Park Drive
Grandville: 3140 Wilson SW
St. Joseph: 2710 Cleveland Ave.
Bay City: 1017 N. Johnson St.
Midland: 825 E. Main St.

Versiti Blood Center of Michigan must collect at least 560 units of blood each day to meet the needs of its nearly 80 hospital partners across the state.

Donating blood takes about an hour. Anyone age 17 or older in good health who meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give. Parental consent is required for donors age 16 to give. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birth date.

>> Find one of Versiti Blood Center of Michigan's eight donor centers near you: https://donate.michigan.versiti.org/donor/schedules/centers

Appointments are encouraged but walk-ins are welcome. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 1-866-642-5663 or visit Versiti online at https://www.versiti.org/MI.

Versiti Blood Center of Michigan, a non-profit organization formerly known as Michigan Blood, has collected blood throughout the state since 1955. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, the non-profit organization collects more than 114,000 units of blood each year in Michigan at eight donation centers and through the operation of more than 3,400 community blood drives throughout the state.