Stanford Blood Center Teams with Great America for Ghoulish Blood Drive Oct. 9

October, 2009
Attention News Desk: Press Release (for immediate release)
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michele Hyndman (650) 723-8237
mhyndman@stanford.edu

STANFORD, Calif. — California’s Great America theme park will hold a blood drive with Stanford Blood Center on Oct. 9 from 1 to 8 p.m. at the main entrance located at 4701 Great America Parkway in Santa Clara to add community spirit to the park’s Halloween Haunt experience.

Make-up artists and wardrobe specialists will help transform blood center staff into zombies, ghouls and monsters to give the drive a terrifying twist. “Donors could literally have their blood taken by a bloodthirsty zombie phlebotomist. It’s going to be a blast,” said Michele Hyndman, blood center spokesperson. “But in all seriousness, there’s nothing scarier than a blood shortage and that’s what the community blood drive with California’s Great America Halloween Haunt is trying to prevent.”

Everyone who attempts to donate will receive a coupon for $14.99 off Halloween Haunt tickets, a free T-shirt and will be entered into a prize drawing with the chance to win free iPods, AMC movie tickets, Baskin Robbins ice cream or free Halloween Haunt tickets. Full-price general admission to the spooky experience is $39.99, but the coupon for blood donors reduces the admission price to $25 for up to six people.

Halloween Haunt offers six haunted mazes, four themed scare zones, four live stage shows and one gruesome themed attraction, plus most of the park’s regular rides and attractions—all in the darkness of the night.

Halloween Haunt at California’s Great America takes place every Friday and Saturday night from 7 p.m. until midnight, Oct. 3-31, plus Sunday, Oct. 25. It is not recommended for children and is rated PG-13. Regular season tickets are not valid for Halloween Haunt. Parking is free for blood donors.

Potential blood donors must be 17 years old, should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour.

For more information or to schedule an appointment online, please visit https://bloodcenter-stg.stanford.edu.

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The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.