Many Tucson-area Sundt employees have blood on their minds, but not because they’re caught up in the latest teen vampire craze. Earlier this month they participated in a blood drive organized by The Sundt Foundation to benefit the American Red Cross Blood Services Arizona Region. Twenty pints of blood were collected during the event, which was held in one of the large conference rooms of Sundt’s Tucson office.
“Of the twenty-seven people who participated in the drive at Sundt, nine were first-time donors,” said Kathy Zillman, donor recruitment representative with the Red Cross. “This is significant, because we now have additional blood donors to add to the donor pool, and we hope they will continue to donate blood in the future.”
All of the blood collected during the Sundt Foundation event went to Southern Arizona hospitals, where it will be used for emergencies, surgeries, chemotherapy treatment, and other needs. The Red Cross recently announced that the national blood supply has dropped to critically low levels for types O positive, O negative, A negative and B negative. Together, local hospitals use approximately 18,000 pints of blood each year between June 1 and Labor Day.
“Giving blood is just another way we can make a difference in people’s lives,” said Tom Crohurst, president of the Sundt Foundation’s board of directors. “Every pint of blood benefits three people on average, so our volunteer event made a direct impact on about 60 individuals. That’s another proud achievement for the Sundt Foundation.”
The Sundt Foundation has long been a supporter of the American Red Cross by giving grants to support its programs, many of which focus not just on large-scale disaster relief, but on helping people deal with life’s day-to-day struggles.