The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. are joining forces on Saturday, Aug. 8 to host a community blood drive.

As part of its Annual Convention, Alpha Phi Alpha will be holding the blood drive with CBCC from 11AM-2PM at the Charlotte Convention Center located at 501 South College Street in Charlotte. To make an appointment, visit www.cbcc.us or contact Cathy Bell at cbell@cbcc.us.

The blood drive is also part of the Carolinas Sickle Cell Collaborative (#StepUp4Sickle) – a partnership with CBCC, regional healthcare and sickle cell advocacy partners, and local African American groups – to support local sickle cell patients who often require multiple blood transfusions for their treatment.

“It is a tremendous honor to host this collaborative blood drive with Alpha Phi Alpha,” said Martin Grable, president and CEO of the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas. “We appreciate the support and efforts of Alpha Phi Alpha in helping save local lives while increasing our efforts to find more blood and donor matches for sickle cell patients in our region.”

The goals of the Carolinas Sickle Cell Collaborative include: 1) increase awareness about sickle cell disease 2) identify more blood donor matches for sickle cell patients in our community; 3) increase the number of African American blood donors to support these patients; and 4) involve more African American organizations in hosting blood drives throughout the year.

Studies show that 90,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease and that 98 percent of those are African American. Although sickle cell is not unique to African Americans, it is more frequently diagnosed in the African American patient population in the U.S. These patients often need regular blood transfusions from donors with matching blood types and similar blood characteristics. The best match usually comes from other African American donors.

To make an appointment at any center or mobile drive, visit www.cbcc.us or call 704-972-4700.

About Community Blood Center of the Carolinas

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) is a non-profit community-based blood center and the primary blood supplier to 27 regional hospitals, serving 19 North Carolina and three South Carolina counties. CBCC focuses exclusively on gathering red blood cells, platelets and plasma from volunteer donors to save local lives here in the Carolinas. Every drop stays here, saving local lives. CBCC is a member of America’s Blood Centers, North America’s largest network of community-based, independent blood centers providing more than 50% of the nation’s blood supply.

For more information on hosting a blood drive or donating blood in your area, visit www.cbcc.us or call 704-972-4700.

Follow the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BloodCenter, on Instagram https://instagram.com/cbccarolinas/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CBCCarolinas.