Renowned Canine Artist Creates
�Dog Days of Summer� T-Shirt

July

�

Community Blood Services has partnered with internationally known canine artist Mike McCartney to create a unique T-shirt design for the center�s annual �Dog Days of Summer� campaign.

�We are very excited and grateful to Mr. McCartney for taking time out of his busy schedule to work with us on creating a T-shirt design for our blood donors that perfectly illustrates our Dog Days of Summer campaign,� said Kathleen McKenna, vice president of operations at Community Blood Services.

Any donor who donates on Tuesday or Wednesday, July 15 or 16, at the Paramus, Lincoln Park or Montvale donor rooms will receive a complimentary T-shirt.

To schedule an appointment to donate, call 201-251-3703 or click here to schedule online. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are recommended for blood donors. Appointments are needed to donate platelets.

McKenna said there is a critical need for blood, platelets and plasma during the summer months, noting �Volunteer donors who normally donate at our donor centers don�t show up as frequently because of their busy summer schedules and vacations. There are also fewer blood drives to help maintain the supply for patients in our community hospitals.�

Donors can donate at the Paramus center, 1 West Ridgewood Avenue, on Tuesday, July 15th or Wednesday, July 16th from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; at the Lincoln Park center, 63 Beaverbrook Road, Suite 304 from 12 noon to 7:30 p.m.; or at the Montvale center on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Community Blood Services needs to collect 250 pints of blood each day in order to meet the transfusion needs of patients at the more than 18 hospitals it serves in New Jersey and New York. McKenna, who said it is difficult to meet that daily goal during the summer months, noted all blood types and products are needed, especially O negative, O positive and platelets.

Whole blood donors must be 17-75 years old (16 years old with parental permission) and weigh at least 110 pounds. Donors also receive complimentary mini-physicals which include blood pressure, hemoglobin and non-fasting glucose and cholesterol screenings.