Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I—Pulaski) will host an American Red Cross blood drive on Friday, May 2 at Believer's Chapel in Fulton, which is located at 614 South Fourth Street.

“Hospitals are in critical need of blood for emergency rooms throughout our region. Giving blood truly saves lives. In fact, one donation can save up to three lives,” said Barclay.

Anyone is welcome to donate. To schedule an appointment for the May 2 blood drive in Fulton, call the Red Cross at 315-343-0967, or to sign up online, visit their Web site and click on “Schedule an Appointment.” It takes about 8-10 minutes to give blood with a total time to register and replenish with provided snacks of about an hour and 15 minutes. Donors are encouraged to eat well and hydrate prior to appointment.

There will be door prizes given for those who attend.

According to the Red Cross:

• Only 38% of the U.S. population is able to donate blood.
• Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• More than one million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.