Staff Reporter
More than 80 members of the Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA) are rolling up their sleeves and donating much needed blood, plasma and platelets to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.
As part of a challenge launched by REISA CEO Greg Troughton in July, 30 members have committed themselves to donating 500 litres of blood to the Red Cross by 31 October 2013.
Mr Troughton explained the importance of the competition, stating that 27,000 blood donations are needed across Australia every week and that the Red Cross is constantly in need of more.
“Only one in 30 people currently donate blood, but one in three of us will need blood or blood products in our lifetime,” he said.
Each donation made by REISA members only takes an hour and saves three lives.
To make team donations easy, every REISA member and franchise office has received an official donation kit. A record of the blood donations will appear regularly throughout the three months in The Advertiser’s Saturday real estate lift out in order to create strong competition between different real estate offices.
Turner Real Estate was the first agency to register for the Real Estate Blood Challenge and has already had 12 staff members donate. Managing director of Turner Real Estate Robin Turner said that five of the staff were already regular donors, so they registered straight away.
“Our regular blood donors have been supporting Red Cross for years and they are keen to take some of their colleagues with them to their next donation, which as a company we are delighted to support,” he said.
For more information on the Real Estate Blood Challenge, log on to reisa.com.au or visit the Real Estate Blood Challenge Facebook page. Information about your local donation centre or the Blood Service’s mobile unit can be found by calling 13 14 95 or by visiting www.donateblood.com.au.
- <p>There needs to be a stand of 'absolutely no peer pressure' from offices for anyone to donate. Everyone donating blood should be 100% healthy to start with and should be free to opt out of donating in an office environment without feeling bad. Having received blood in the past and getting sick from receiving it, I would like to know that anyone donating blood is 100% honest with themselves and only donates if they are 100% healthy. If they have any viruses or other illness's that they don't want to discuss with work collegues there has to be a way for them to decline without feeling pressured into donating when they know that they shouldn't. Blood banks only screen for certain viruses although they say they get everything (they don't) and some random ones slip through. I also know people who are not free of viruses who donate blood and think it is ok to do so. Blood is needed... but only from healthy people.</p>0
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