Posted by Michelle Stefan

<Mather, CA> – On June 14, 2011, people from countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) in efforts to raise awareness of the need for a safe and available blood supply provided by volunteer blood donors. The theme of this year's WBDD is "More blood. More life." This theme reinforces the urgent need for people all over the world to save lives by donating blood.

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For more information, visit www.wbdd.org.

BloodSource supports this message not only throughout Northern and Central California where we provide blood and services to 40 hospitals but also internationally. BloodSource works globally – as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Africa and with Global Healing in Moldova and Georgia (Eastern Europe).BloodSource, through a grant by Global Healing, is now also working in Nigeria alongside Rotary members who are part of the Safe Blood Africa Project.

With funding from Global Healing, BloodSource is able to bring increased sustainability to the Safe Blood Africa Project (SBA), founded by the Rotary Club of Carmel Valley. SBA donates blood storage refrigerators and generators to hospitals in Nigeria and BloodSource, with other blood banking professionals from California, delivers training programs in transfusion medicine and blood donor recruitment to medical professionals at university teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, where people often die for lack of a safe blood supply. In addition to working in Nigeria, BloodSource hosts international guests with this program who learn relevant recruitment and testing platforms to be presented to colleagues at home. Anthony Ajayi, a medical technologist and blood donor recruiter from Nigeria is now visiting BloodSource where he is training prior to the next SBA/BloodSource training program in Nigeria in late June.

WBDD was originally established by Rotary International Action Group, Global Network for Blood Donation and is now supported by The World Health Organization (WHO) Together, we do save lives.

About BloodSource
BloodSource, not-for-profit since 1948, provides blood for 40 hospitals in 25 inland counties of Northern and Central California. More information can be found at www.bloodsource.org. For information about blood donation and marrow registry, please call 866.822.5663.

About Global Healing
Global Healing is a US-registered 501(c)(3) organization devoted to providing modern medical equipment, training and supplies to the developing world. It was established in 1994, initially to train and equip a team of pediatric cardiology surgeons in Tbilisi, Georgia and has since started medical programs in Armenia, Honduras, and now Dominica as well as Moldova. More information can be found at www.globalhealing.org.