North Carolina, Raleigh- The “César Chávez” blood donation campaign of the American Red Cross managed to collect 1,905 units of blood in 52 voluntary campaigns carried out in 2020.
The initiative is aimed at the Latino community and seeks to honor the legacy of the civic leader of Hispanic origin by encouraging people to become donors and change the lives of those who need blood components for their medical treatments.
“The campaign honors the legacy of César Chávez, who was a civic leader dedicated to improving working conditions and the quality of life of immigrants and also those who work in the fields. So, in support of the vision of César Chávez, we encourage people to donate blood, to make a difference, saving someone’s life, ”he explained to Latin Link NC, Mariana Vimbela, representative of the Red Cross.
In addition, the campaign also seeks to increase the diversity of donors in the United States to have a “diverse blood stock for patients who are victims of accidents or who are being treated for cancer or sickle cell disease,” said Vimbela and stated that most of the donations for this campaign were given by university student groups.
In the United States, nationwide, there are 2,500 hospitals that require units of blood daily for their patients. The Latino community represents only 4% of total donors and, according to Vimbela, “the American Red Cross started this program with the objective of raising awareness of the fundamental role of the Latinx community in helping to maintain a blood supply of donors. diverse ”.
Finally, Vimbela stressed that those who want to participate and find out, both to become a blood donor and to organize a voluntary campaign, “can visit our page www.RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive and then a member of donor services from the local area will contact the person interested in organizing a Cesar Chávez blood drive ”.
César Chávez (1927-1993) was an American peasant leader and civil rights activist. In 1962 he founded, together with Dolores Huerta, the National Association of Farmers, later recognized as the union, the Union of Farmers (United Farm Workers). As a Mexican American farm worker, Chávez became the most recognized Latin American civil rights activist.
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