The Sangue Rubro-Negro campaign, in partnership with Hemorio, is a success in Gávea
Members, collaborators and athletes turned out in force for the action; with the 122 bags of blood collected, up to 576 lives can be saved.
By Helena Petry - inMore than 120 red-and-black fans, including athletes, members, and employees, saved lives this Thursday! In a campaign run by Mais Querido's Social Responsibility department, in partnership with Hemorio, the children's party room at the Gávea headquarters became a blood donation point. In total, 122 blood donations were made in five hours, a number that could save up to 576 lives and surpassed the established goal of 80 bags and Hemorio's limit for mobile collections.
Ângela Machado, Rubro-Negro's amateur director of Social Responsibility, celebrated the success of the initiative, which gained even greater importance due to the decrease in blood bank stocks due to the pandemic.
"I'll admit I was surprised, because when we launched the campaign, we thought it would be a real struggle to get this many people to donate, and today, a large number had to be turned away because there weren't enough funds for so many people," said Ângela. "It was incredibly good; I thank everyone who came and volunteered to donate. This campaign is wonderful and continues. May people continue to think about donating and saving lives, and may Hemorio continue to receive donations at its headquarters."
The initiative was supported by several Olympic athletes from all sports at Mais Querido. FlaBasquete star Olivinha was one of the red-and-blacks who donated. A veteran on the court and in blood banks, the power forward offered encouragement to the fans.
"People might think it's going to hurt a lot, but it's completely the opposite; it doesn't hurt at all. Come on in, it's super easy, and I recommend it too," said the number 16. "I've been donating blood for about five years, and there are always campaigns for Flamengo, so whenever I can help, I do. I feel great because I know I'm doing something that will make a difference."
In Ecuador for Flamengo's match against Independiente del Valle, in the Copa Libertadores da América, this Thursday, President Rodolfo Landim made a point of leaving a message for donors.
"I'd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone participating in this Flamengo initiative with Hemorio and BRB, especially all the employees and everyone who participated in organizing this event, the social responsibility team, and, most importantly, the donors. The club members, who contributed and helped. Always remembering that this was a fundamental initiative of ours and that this type of behavior must continue. It's very important that we continue donating to Hemorio because donating blood saves lives," said Landim.
Since September 8th, Hemorio and Flamengo have been providing red-and-black masks to anyone who donates at the organization's headquarters. The initiative continues until the end of the month, and so far, more than 1.500 masks have been distributed and 3.200 bags of blood collected, representing approximately 13 lives saved. These numbers represent a significant increase compared to previous months.