Red Cross encouraging blood donations during summer - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

MADISON (WKOW) -- The American Red Cross is hoping you'll find time in your busy summer schedule to donate blood.

Officials say the need for blood can't take a holiday. They say as soon as blood is coming in, it's being shipped out after being tested.

"We see a pretty steep decline in donations during the summer and we're just kinda hitting that peak of the official summer months," said Red Cross spokesperson Bobbi Snethen. "Schools are out of session, people are traveling... We get about 20% of our blood donations from high school and college blood drives, so when they're out we see the numbers of youth drop a lot."

Snethen says your donation could help your neighbor or someone thousands of miles away.

"We are a national network so we can supply local hospitals as soon as it's necessary, but we also have the unique ability to send it wherever and whenever it's needed.

Right now, as part of the Red Cross' "Live Life, Give Life" promotion, anyone who donates blood is automatically entered to win a $5,000 gift certificate to Giftcertificates.com.