Milwaukee County Zoo hosts 2-day blood drive ahead of 4th of July holiday

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Visitors at the Milwaukee County Zoo had the chance to declare themselves a lifesaver Thursday, June 30. 

Versiti held their 21st annual Declaration for Donations Blood Drive at the zoo. 

The two-day event is an opportunity for the community to give back and help local hospital patients in need ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

Organizers say summer is the time when donations are historically low, but use of blood is up.

"When schools are out we aren't hosting blood drives there, so we're really reliant on the community to come out to drives like this and donate," said Kristin Paltezr of Versiti. "And then we also see people are out traveling, they're having fun, unfortunately that means that there's more opportunity for accidents to happen and so donations are down, and use of blood historically is up."

If you missed the chance to donate Thursday, don't worry. There will be another blood drive Friday from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. at the Milwaukee County Zoo.

As a token of gratitude, all attempting donors will receive free zoo admission and parking on the day of their donation, one ticket for a future zoo visit, a limited edition "heART of Community" T-shirt and a $15 e-gift card.