Celebrating International Volunteer Day
05 December 2011
It's International Volunteer Day (5th December) and the team at the New Zealand Blood Service would like to say "THANK YOU" to all our volunteers and blood donors who help save lives throughout the year.
In 1985, the United Nations General Assembly designated 5 December as an annual celebration of voluntary action by people, communities and governments of the world. International Volunteer Day (IVD) is for volunteers from all walks of life working in communities around the globe.
In New Zealand over 128,000 people regularly give blood, and with each donation they save up to 3 lives each time they donate. This voluntary act is highly appreciated, and is a critical part of the NZ healthcare system.
Additionally NZBS has many volunteers who help at mobile blood drives and at the donor centres, helping to make donors welcome and providing refreshments. Many individuals in organisations, businesses and groups also play a key role in helping to arrange facilities for donation and encouraging their colleagues to donate.
To everyone who has played a part in making sure there is blood available to patients in need, where and when they need it, a heartfelt THANK YOU from the team here at NZBS. We couldn't run this service without you all.
