Be a Champion: 3X Olympian Elizabeth Beisel partners with Rhode Island Blood Center

Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) and 3x Olympian and Rhode Island native Elizabeth Beisel continue their partnership to raise awareness about the need for blood donations ahead of the critical July Fourth holiday. Seasonal travel, school breaks, and a rise in traumatic accidents during the summer months often strain the blood supply and lead to shortages. To encourage donations during this critical time, all donors who show up to save lives at a RIBC donation location NOW through July 7 will receive a limited edition “Team Blood Donor” t-shirt.

“My goal this summer is to convince as many people to donate as possible,” said Elizabeth Beisel, 3x Olympian. “Even if it’s one person, my hope is that one person convinces someone they love to donate, and then it dominos into a whole new group of people in RIBC’s blood donation circuit. Having a strong community that values donating blood is how we truly save lives, especially during the summer months.”

As excitement builds ahead of the Paris games this summer where Beisel will be providing commentary, the Olympian is laying down a challenge to young donors. Historically, donations from 16-24-year-olds accounted for 25% of the country’s blood supply; now, only about 10% of blood donations come from this group. Beisel is challenging young donors and all who are eligible to donate to roll up their sleeves this summer and become a champion for blood donation.

“Everyone plays a vital role in the stability of our blood supply, especially our youth and first-time blood donors,” said Caitlin Grimaldi-Flick, Marketing and Communications Manager for Rhode Island Blood Center. “We join Elizabeth’s call to our community to be champions for blood donation and help local patients this summer by giving the gift of life. We hope fun collaborations like this one will help instill a life-long habit of blood donation for our younger donors.”

RIBC is encouraging everyone to donate at least once a season to prevent future blood shortages. Blood donors can give every 56 days, and up to 6 times a year. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lifted several blood donor eligibility restrictions. To view current eligibility guidelines or make an appointment, visit ribc.org or call 401.453.8383. 

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About Rhode Island Blood Center

Founded in 1979, Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) celebrates 45 Years of Extraordinary Lifesaving Research, Innovation and Impact. RIBC is the primary supplier of blood and blood products to patients being cared for in hospitals throughout Rhode Island and in neighboring states. Our mission is to help save lives by ensuring a safe, plentiful, and cost-effective blood supply. RIBC is also part of the National Marrow Donor Program and collects stem cells for transplant at its Providence location. RIBC provides therapeutic treatments for patients in local hospitals and our state-of-the-art laboratory performs donor testing for over 400,000 donations per year.

RIBC is also involved in a variety of local and national research programs in an effort to improve all aspects of the blood supply. RIBC is a Division of New York Blood Center, Inc. (a family of operating Divisions known as New York Blood Center Enterprises). For more information, visit ribc.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.