River Cats, BloodSource reunite for annual Blood Drive

West Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento River Cats and BloodSource are teaming up yet again for the fifth annual Raley Field Blood Drive on Friday, August 4. Both parties are excited to continue this partnership into its fifth year and beyond.

The River Cats and BloodSource will be open in the Raley Field parking lot next Friday, August 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In celebration of the fifth annual Raley Field blood drive, BloodSource is giving away great prizes all day. Every donor will receive two tickets to a River Cats game and an exclusive San Francisco Giants Blood Donor t-shirt. 
Since August 2013, the River Cats and BloodSource have teamed up to register over 700 donors and collect more than 615 units of blood. Of those 700-plus donors, 315 of them have been new donors, donating blood for the first time at Raley Field.
"We have had incredible success partnering with the River Cats these last five years," said Heather Sharp, BloodSource Account Manager. "Every year we are thrilled with and proud of the response from the West Sacramento and Sacramento communities. I know that I speak for the River Cats when I say we're eagerly anticipating our fifth successful drive."
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood and the summer can be a challenging time for BloodSource and other organizations to collect blood. High schools and colleges - where many blood drives are hosted - are on summer break, while many regular blood donors are on vacation and unavailable to donate. In addition, prospective donors often become deferred due to the effects of travel. Drives like the one at Raley Field provide an alternate location and opportunity for regular and new donors.
"This drive has become an important part of both the River Cats family and the Sacramento region," added Greg Coletti, Vice President, Partner Services for the River Cats. "We're proud to continue to partner with BloodSource to bring this drive to Raley Field year after year."
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BloodSource has been this area's nonprofit community blood provider since1948, and serves patients in more than 40 hospitals throughout Northern and Central California. It is a Blood Systems blood center. Blood Systems is one of the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit community blood service providers, currently serving more than 1,000 hospital and healthcare partners across 28 states to provide comprehensive transfusion medicine services for patients in need.
The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2017 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.