Blood Saves Lives: Helping People With Sickle Cell Disease – FedEx & American Red Cross
When FedEx representatives heard on a conference call that the American Red Cross was aiming to increase the number of African American blood donors by the end of 2025, the company realized it was well-positioned to help. Achieving this goal would help enable the Red Cross to meet the blood transfusion needs of patients suffering from sickle cell disease.
FedEx made a cash grant, volunteered its television production team to create a video for the campaign and increased the use of its vehicles and cold chain capabilities to transport blood donations.
Blood transfusions are an essential treatment for sickle cell disease, the most common genetic blood disease in the U.S., which primarily affects Black and African American individuals. As the largest blood collector and distributor in the U.S., the Red Cross has a unique responsibility of ensuring blood products are readily available whenever and wherever they are needed.
FedEx used its digital platforms including fedexcares.com, Facebook, Twitter, and its 3BL channel. In the initiative’s first year in 2021, blood donors gave more than 45,000 sickle cell-compatible blood donations through the Red Cross. The campaign also allowed the Red Cross to screen for the inherited sickle cell trait, and in 2021, they screened more than 56,000 self-identified African American blood donors.
