Dallas Summer Musicals Hosts Three-Day Blood Drive, May 26-28

Dallas Summer Musicals opens theater doors in a grand show of community support for the dwindling local blood supply. For the past 15 months, continuously, Carter BloodCare and blood programs nationwide have experienced the most limited blood supply in 30 years. All eligible blood donors are urged to give blood before the Memorial Day holiday weekend and all blood types are needed.

The three-day blood drive is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 26 to Friday, May 28, 2021, at the Music Hall at Fair Park. All blood donors are automatically entered into a drawing for a pair of Germania Insurance Broadway Series season tickets that include the add-on HAMILTON. Restrictions will apply. View official rules here. Blood donors should enter Fair Park through GATE 5 located at the intersection of Robert B. Cullum Boulevard and Grand Avenue. Free parking is available outside of the Music Hall.

Hospitals are beginning to expand surgery schedules to accommodate procedures canceled during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when hospital bed space was limited. The current blood supply cannot keep pace with a surge in demand. Blood collected daily is already shipped within 24 to 48 hours. Incoming collections do not always fully replace that shipment. There is no backup plan for obtaining blood because it can only come from the generosity of people who care about others.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to partner with Carter BloodCare again for a three-day blood drive," says Ken Novice, president of Dallas Summer Musicals. "We are humbled to contribute to this critical cause in the small way of opening the doors to the Music Hall. We invite all who are able to donate, as we know blood is a necessity that can't be manufactured."

The space at the Music Hall is ideal for blood donors and staff to spread out and everyone is required to wear masks inside the facility at all times. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are really welcomed. Donors can complete the medical history questionnaire online on the day of donation, before arriving to give blood. If you have received a COVID-19 vaccine, you are eligible to donate. For more information on donor eligibility and to make an appointment, call or text 800-366-2834, or visit carterbloodcare.org.

Volunteers may begin donating blood at age 16 (with parental consent; forms are onsite) and individuals who are 17 and older may donate independently.

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