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L-R: Shamus Neeson, Mayor Mike Yargeau, Josephine Michaluk, Penhold Councillor Teresa Cunningham, following the 2024 campaign. (Supplied)
OVER 1,000 DONATIONS MADE LAST YEAR

Penhold encourages blood donations in central Alberta February challenge

Jan 30, 2025 | 2:25 PM

Central Albertan residents are invited to roll up their sleeves and make a difference as the Town of Penhold and Canadian Blood Services launch their second annual Penhold Cares Central Alberta Blood Drive Challenge for the month of February.

Penhold is challenging everyone in central Alberta to book an appointment and donate blood at the Red Deer donation centre over the next month, but that’s not all — donors will represent one of six zones in the region in a battle to see which area will claim the title of Top Donor Zone.

“We started this challenge last year with Canadian Blood Services to honour the world record set by Penhold resident, Josephine Michaluk, for most whole blood donations by a female,” says Mayor Mike Yargeau.

The competition zones are as follows:

  1. Penhold
  2. Red Deer
  3. Zone 1: West of the QEII, north of Highway 592
  4. Zone 2: East of QEII, north of Highway 42
  5. Zone 3: West of QEII, south of Highway 592
  6. Zone 4: East of QEII, south of Highway 42
    (Supplied)

“Last year, Penhold showed up in a big way, securing the third-highest number of donors among all zones. This year, let’s prove just how much heart our small town has and aim for the top spot,” says Yargeau. “We are calling on Penhold residents to step up, make an appointment, and donate blood in February.”

Shamus Neeson, community development manager for Canadian Blood Services in Red Deer and Central Alberta, says last year’s campaign was extremely successful, with 1,055 units of blood collected and 105 new donors recruited.

This year, the goal is 1,150 donations.

Donations can be made at the Red Deer donation centre (#5 5020 68 Street) and appointments can be made online or through the GiveBlood app.

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