To improve blood bank capacity during Carnival, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo is encouraging its huge fan base to participate in the "Meu Sangue Rubro-Negro" (My Red-Black Blood) donation campaign. The campaign runs from February 16th to 20th and will have the confirmed participation of the soccer team's coach, Alex Stival (Cuca), and gymnasts Jade and Daniele Hypolito. They will all be at HemoRio around 13 p.m. next Monday.

The main reason for the campaign taking place before Carnival is the critical combination of increased demand for blood and reduced donations. It's a time of year when the number of accidents rises and the number of donors drops.

Residents of Rio de Janeiro will receive personalized care at HemoRio, but residents of other cities can and should organize themselves to also participate in the campaign.

Fasting is not required to donate. The only thing you should avoid is fatty foods in the four hours before donating, as well as alcoholic beverages in the 12 hours beforehand. Other basic requirements for blood donation:

- Bring an official photo ID (original);\ - Be between 18 and 65 years old;\ - Weigh more than 50 kilos;\ - Be in good health.\

HemoRio is located at Rua Frei Caneca, 08 – Centro – Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Opening hours are from 7am to 18pm. For more information about HemoRio, call (21) 2229 9442 or call 0800 282 07 08 or visit the website www.hemorio.rj.gov.br .

The "My Red-Black Blood" campaign is a project of the Marketing Department of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, in partnership with HemoRio. Support is provided by FLASHOP (Rua da Quitanda, 87 - Centro - Rio de Janeiro) and FLATV (www.flatv.com.br).

Watch the official video of the “Meu Sangue Rubro-Negro” Campaign on CanalFLA: http://www.youtube.com/flamengo