LITTLE ROCK, AR -- September is when the American Red Cross urges everyone to “Be Red Cross Ready” and to be prepared for emergencies. The Red Cross responds with blood, food and temporary shelters to events where people’s lives are interrupted by tragedies, but there are things families can do to help themselves.



The Red Cross urges people to donate blood, have a first aid kit, make a plan, and be informed. More information is at http://www.redcross.org.



The Red Cross also supplies blood donated by volunteers to people undergoing emergency medical treatment and to premature babies, cancer and leukemia patients, and those requiring blood transfusions.



“By donating regularly, blood will be available in times of emergencies. Blood is separated into red blood cells, platelets and plasma, so that as many as three people benefit from each unit donated,” Erschelle Newsome, chief executive officer for the American Red Cross Greater Ozarks-Arkansas Blood Services Region, said.



Blood is collected in Arkansas at Red Cross centers in Jonesboro, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Russellville, Searcy and Tontitown, and in communities throughout the state served periodically by mobile collection units.



Anyone with an American Red Cross donor card or government-issued photo ID may be eligible to give blood. Other forms of identification may also be acceptable; call 1-800-448-3543 for more information. The Red Cross is not a government agency and takes the confidentiality of its donors very seriously.



To donate blood, a person must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health, and not have donated within 56 days. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-448-3543, or visit www.GIVELIFE.org.