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Blood donations 'a gift in honour of contributions of women and men of Canadian Armed Forces'

On Remembrance Day, clinic comes to school in Newton for the day
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David Patterson

SURREY — To commemorate Remembrance Day this year, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is appealing for people to “give life” by donating blood.

The agency deems such donations “a gift in honour of the contributions of the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces.”

There are many different ways to serve your country, according to David Patterson, director of donor relations for CBS in the B.C. and Yukon region.

“Canadians can contribute by working in the line of duty like our members of the Canadian Armed Forces, or by rolling up their sleeves to help patients in hospitals across Canada.

“We need more Canadians to experience the feeling you get from serving your country and saving a life.”

In Surrey on Friday, Nov. 11, a blood-donation clinic will be set up at Ecole Gabrielle-Roy, in Newton at 6887 132nd St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also, the CBS clinic in Surrey, at 15285 101st Ave. in Guildford, is open Wednesday to Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In 2016, the Department of National Defence is aiming to contribute at least 600 new donors and 6,000 donations from Canadian Armed Forces and civilian employees across the country.

CBS needs more donors in light of new donation rules that address travel and health-related matters.

The agency says it needs to collect 17,000 units of blood each week to meet the needs of hospital patients.

For donor information, visit Blood.ca or call 1-888-2-DONATE.

During the final year of the First World War, Canadians donated 890,000 units of blood for use in military hospitals, giving birth to Canada’s voluntary blood system.

tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com

 

 



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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