Red Cross Is Giving away 2 Tickets to the Super Bowl: Here’s How to Enter

If you've been dreaming of flying to Vegas to see the Big Game, the American Red Cross wants to hear from you.

Win a Trip to Vegas for 2

The American Red Cross giving away tickets to see the Big Game in Las Vegas. Those who donate blood between now and January 31st will be entered in the contest. Entries are capped at 5 per person.

This is the fifth year the NFL teamed with the Red Cross to encourage more blood donations and, this year, the prize is massive.

According to the Red Cross, this is the fabulous prize up for grabs this year:

The winner and guest will get to enjoy Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, access to day-of in-stadium pre-game activities, tickets to the official Super Bowl Experience, round-trip airfare to Las Vegas, three-night hotel accommodations (Feb. 9-12, 2024), plus a $1,000 gift card for expenses.

The total cost of the prize is estimated to be around $10,000, roughly.

Combatting Crippling Blood Shortage

The American Red Cross is warning that a critical, nationwide blood shortage will have devastating consequences if it continues.

They warned on their website:

The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. Your blood donation is needed now to help alleviate the shortage and ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not delayed.

Hospitals are sounding the alarm that the demand for blood is threatening their current supply. If this trend continues, staff may be forced to make impossible decisions.

The American Red Cross has since declared a national blood shortage and is urging those who are able to donate to help.

Blood Drives around  Utica

Donating blood takes roughly an hour and health experts say your donation can save someone's life.

AAA Northeast is inviting the public to participate in several upcoming blood drives. Those who are healthy and able to donate are encouraged to help. Several will take place at the Utica Blood Donation Center, but times and dates vary.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, or to find a blood drive closet to you, call 1-800-733-2767 or visiting RedCrossBlood.org and enter the code AAANE.

Why Is There a Blood Shortage?

You might be thinking that you hear of a blood shortage every year, but this particular shortage is turning into an outright crisis.

As the Red Cross explains, natural disasters causes over $23 billion in damages so far this year. This includes hurricanes, heatwaves, floods and wildfires.

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This has caused an increase in patients needing life-saving blood transfusions at medical centers and hospitals.

At this moment, demand is exceeding incoming donations. In addition to natural disasters, the Red Cross says there is also a smaller number of donors coming forward in recent years. In fact, donations have reached a 20-year low.

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Pairing both factors together, the Red Cross warns this is creating a perfect storm that could put even more lives at risk. It's estimated that the national blood supply has fallen roughly 25 percent since the start of August.

All Blood Types Needed

The Red Cross has since updated its site to reflect the serious nature of the shortage:

Blood donors of all blood types are urgently needed now to ensure patients at hospitals across the country continue to receive critical medical care.

Those who are able to donate are asked to make an appointment using their website tool that finds the drives closest to them. All blood types are needed, but there is a particular demand for A negative and B negative blood, as well as both O positive and negative blood.

Those with O negative blood have the most important blood type, as it's considered a universal donor. O negative blood has no antigens, which will not trigger an immune response if introduced to other blood types.

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There are instances where patients come in that need an immediate transfusion, but they either don't know their type or medical officials don't have the time to determine it.

Because of that, hospitals always ensure there is always O-negative blood on their shelves.

How to Donate

Beyond the tools provided on the Red Cross website, there are several other ways to donate.

Those interested in giving blood can download the Red Cross app and sign up for the Rapid Pass, which is a prescreening tool that'll speed up a donation appointment by filling out the paperwork and answering necessary questions beforehand.

In all, appointments only take about 30 minutes.

As for how many times one can donate blood, it's standard that donors wait 56 days between appointments.

Those who are Power Red donors, or those who give two units of red blood cells, can donate every 112 days.

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Be sure to be plenty hydrated before donating and to eat iron-rich meals. Once you're finished with your appointment, have fun chowing down on an abundance of snacks meant to help you replenish your system.

Check out RedCrossBlood.org to become a donor.

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