The American Red Cross is offering football fans the ultimate incentive to save lives this winter: a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl LIX.
As part of its partnership with the National Football League, the Red Cross is encouraging blood and platelet donations nationwide by offering an exclusive sweepstakes for donors.
Anyone who donates by January 26, 2025, will be automatically entered to win a package that includes tickets to Super Bowl LIX, airfare, hotel accommodations, and a $1,000 gift card.
As winter weather and flu season loom, meteorologists predict harsher conditions across the Eastern Seaboard, with snow and ice potentially impacting cities as far south as Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA.
It is predicted that these disruptions could lead to canceled blood drives and make it difficult to transport essential blood products. Last winter alone, severe weather resulted in the loss of approximately 16,000 blood and platelet donations.
“Severe winter weather is one of the biggest threats to maintaining a stable blood supply,” said Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of Donor Services for the American Red Cross. “Snow and ice caused about 16,000 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected last winter. In addition, hazardous weather conditions can make it tougher to move vital blood products across the Red Cross network, potentially affecting deliveries to hospitals in some locations.”
So the Red Cross has come up with a unique way of getting people down to their local donation centre – giving away an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl LIX.
Donors who give blood or platelets from January 1 to 26, 2025, will automatically be entered to win the Super Bowl LIX package.
The grand prize includes pre-game stadium access, tickets to the official Super Bowl Experience, round-trip airfare, three-night hotel accommodations from February 7-10, 2025, and a $1,000 gift card for expenses.
David Suggs, the winner of last year’s Super Bowl giveaway, emphasized the impact of donating blood. “I’m not a firefighter, I’m not a first responder, but donating blood is something I can do to help others,” he said. He and his wife, Christine, described their trip to Super Bowl LVIII as “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
This year marks the 55th National Blood Donor Month.
In a statement, the Red Cross said: “Donors are needed now: Step off the sidelines and roll up a sleeve to help patients in need.
“Type O negative blood donors and those giving platelets are especially urged to give now to keep critical blood products on the shelves for patients in need.”
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Each blood donation has the potential to save multiple lives, benefiting patients undergoing surgeries, cancer treatments, and emergency care.
The American Red Cross provides nearly 40% of the nation’s blood supply, making every donation crucial to meeting ongoing medical demands.
Appointments to donate blood or platelets can be made online at RedCrossBlood.org, through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.