Day of Donations: American Red Cross hosts day after Christmas blood drive in Milwaukee area

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) – The season of giving doesn't stop for organizations like the American Red Cross.

They saw more than 100 Wisconsin families at the Rennaissance Hotel in Wauwatosa Tuesday for an annual blood drive.

The day after Christmas is the American Red Cross' Day of Donations.

"If you're looking for a way to give back, this is a great way to do it," said Jen Warren, the regional communications director.

The walk-in blood drive on Dec. 26 now a 12-year-long tradition.

"This is the biggest one we do over the winter months in the Milwaukee area," said account manager Jessica Peterson. "We see people that come out every year and make this donation, but then also we see a lot of first-time donors."

Catherine Kathrein donates every three months, a habit she started three years ago.

"My partner had hemochromatosis, which is a disease that, the iron doesn't come out of their blood," Kathrein said. "He had to have a lot taken so his body would generate new blood, so I got into that because he was doing it." 

She also donates in honor of her son, who has lymphoma.

"It's such a simple thing, and yet you feel it's valuable," Kathrein said.

The American Red Cross says just one blood donation can help safe up to three lives.

"People need blood for all different reasons. Cancer treatments, transfusions, people who have gotten in accidents," Warren said.

Blood donations typically decline in the winter. The Red Cross asks donors to take advantage of the mild weather and help keep up supply.

"It helps us stock the hospital shelves," Warren said.

There are blood drives almost daily in southeastern Wisconsin. They're listed on the American Red Cross website.

"You know, you did something cool for somebody else, and it didn't cost you a dime," Kathrein said.