April 19, 2011 - UTI blood donations save 28,500 lives nationwide

April 19, 2011 - While Universal Technical Institute (UTI) is in the business of changing lives through quality education, the students and staff are also saving lives in April – by donating blood during National Volunteer Month.

For 2011, UTI has already scheduled 25 upcoming blood drives at their 11 campuses across the U.S, seven of which are in support of National Volunteer Month, including Dallas, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Phoenix, Orlando and Philadelphia.

Last year, UTI donated more than 9,500 units of blood from 12 locations across the U.S, helping approximately 28,500 people.*

According to United Blood Services, a nationwide 501(c)3 nonprofit blood provider, advances in medical treatments and surgical techniques are factors contributing to the reduction of the nation’s blood supply. Since blood cannot be manufactured or harvested, volunteer blood donors are needed year-round. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. requires blood, and about one in seven people entering a hospital need blood. In addition, UBS notes that the advancing age of the Baby Boomer generation has caused stress to the nation’s blood supply.

In Arizona, UTI-Avondale in Phoenix and the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute-Phoenix took the number one and two spot for 2010 blood donations, respectively, donating a combined total of almost 6,000 units of blood.

Along with the two Arizona campuses that received awards, UTI-Exton in Philadelphia and the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) in Charlotte, N.C., have been recognized in their communities for the high level of participation in local blood drives. In fact, NTI has been recognized for the past three years by the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas for the Largest Blood Drive of the Year.  

*The American Red Cross cites that every unit of blood can save up to three lives. Click here for more Blood Fact and Statistics.