Throughout the summer months, the American Red Cross will participate in the statewide Fallen Officer Blood Drive Campaign.  This is the eighth year the Red Cross will host blood drives across Indiana to honor fallen officers and raise awareness of the need for blood.

Janice Starnes, whose husband Sergeant Daniel Starnes was killed in the line of duty in 2001, founded the campaign and continues to organize it each year. “Most encouraging,” Starnes says, “is that the blood drives continue to grow and our officers are not forgotten thanks to the people who come to give blood in their memory.”

Last year, every county in Indiana held at least one Fallen Officer blood drive and more than 30,000 units of blood have been collected since the 2007 start of the Fallen Officer blood drives.  This year, won’t you help us surpass our 2013 collections of more than 1,500 units and honor men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice?

The Fallen Officer Blood Drives will take place locally during these times:

• From 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Center Lake Pavilion, 117 Canal St. in Warsaw.
• From 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 16, at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, 1400 N. Pioneer Dr., in Plymouth.
• From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 27, at the Nappanee Police/EMS, 301 W. Lincoln St., in Nappanee.
• From 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at Manchester Church of the Brethren, 1306 Beckley St., in North Manchester.

To donate blood, simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.