Singapore, 9 Dec 2011 – The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has introduced new digital tools to engage potential blood donors and make it easy for organizations to embark on corporate social responsibility programmes.
The Start Your Day Saving Lives campaign will use new online and Facebook (facebook.com/sgredcross) tools to connect with interested blood donors. In addition to providing corporate toolkits with easy steps for organizing a blood drive, there are fun quizzes with useful information and a booking engine to make direct appointments with the blood bank. The Life Line function application puts out blood alert information to help donors find out the current blood stock available for each blood type in the blood bank. Donors can also indicate their blood type and request for tailored notifications to alert them to donate when the blood bank needs their blood type.
The new online corporate toolkit makes downloadable templates, information organizers and publicity materials immediately accessible for corporations organizing blood drives. ‘Only approximately 1.8% of Singapore’s residential population are blood donors. With these new convenient online tools, we hope to make it easier and faster for interested donors to connect with us and present this gift of life,’ said Cecilia Tan, Director, Blood Donor Recruitment Programme.
Corporate Blood Donation Made Easier
Increasingly, Singapore Red Cross has forged partnerships with corporations who embrace the National Blood Donor Programme as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. On average, these partnerships have grown at an annual rate of 18% with more companies seeing the benefit of rallying their employees to this meaningful cause.
For Coca-Cola Singapore, serving the community through blood donation is a key component of their Live Positively sustainability effort. “At Coca-Cola, we are committed to meeting the needs of the communities in which we operate. Through our partnership with the Singapore Red Cross, we are able to make a positive difference in people’s lives” said Mr. Antonio Del Rosario, General Manager of Coca-Cola Singapore.’ Coca-Cola Singapore has pledged to conduct four blood drives annually with their employees and the public, increasing opportunities for Singaporeans to donate blood.
Coca-Cola Singapore welcomes the new online tools, which make it more convenient for staff who wish to donate but face scheduling conflicts. Mr. Del Rosario said, “Because a number of our employees work on shifts, or are on the road a lot, it is sometimes not possible for them to donate during our in-house blood drives. The new online tools will make it easier for employees to make donation appointments individually, when their schedule permits.”
Celebrating Giving this Christmas
The Start Your Day Saving Lives campaign was timed with the festive season to remind people during the season of giving, that nothing can be more precious and rewarding than the gift of life (Annex A). Edmund Chen, artiste celebrity said, “I’ve played countless heroes in my films but to me the real heroes are the ones who selflessly donate blood to save lives. Every bag of blood donated can save up to three lives. Blood is the perfect gift for patients requiring blood transfusions.”
Every day, 350 units of blood are required by all the hospitals in Singapore. Blood is needed not only to save lives in times of emergencies; it is also needed to sustain the lives of patients who require regular blood transfusions in the hospitals. These are those with cancer, the leukaemia patients, the haemophiliacs, the thalassaemia patients, patients with bleeding disorders, and also patients undergoing major surgery.
Find out more on how you can start YOUR day saving lives by watching this video!