(Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005) ATLANTA – The American Red Cross is pleased to announce the reopening of its Cobb donor center in the East Lake Shopping Center at 2145 Roswell Road, Suite 250. The donor center was temporarily moved to Suite 110 due to renovations. The newly-renovated, state-of-the-art facility will have a grand reopening week beginning on Monday, August 22^nd.

Festivities planned at the newly renovated facility will include food, fun and gifts for donors lasting from Monday, August 22^nd through Saturday, August 27^th. Everyone who visits the center that week will receive a t-shirt and a tour of the facilities. The week will be sponsored by Publix, who is providing cake for the celebration, and each day is to be sponsored by local businesses to thank Red Cross donors who patiently awaited the opening of their newly appointed center. The week’s festivities  include:

• Monday: Neighborhood Day (Win gift cards and prizes from neighboring companies!*)
• Tuesday: Starbucks at 2424 Roswell Road (Enjoy coffee and pastries* and enter to win a Starbucks coffee maker!)
• Wednesday: Wild Wing Café at East Lake (Eat delicious wings and signup to win a gift certificate!)
• Thursday: Bruster’s at 2044 Lower Roswell Road (Get a buy one get one free Bruster’s coupon!*)
• Friday: Neighborhood Day (Receive a second chance to win gift cards and prizes from neighboring companies!*)
• Saturday: Chick-fil-A at East Lake (Bring the kids and a camera and take pictures with the Chick-fil-A Cow. Receive a coupon for a free item and cool off with their famous sweet tea and lemonade.* Also, signup to win a nugget tray!)

*Available while supplies last.

“We are looking forward to the reopening of the Cobb donor center,” says Randy Edwards, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Blood Services Southern Region. “Our staff and regular donors are thrilled to return to their Cobb home. We hope more people visit the newly renovated location and make blood and platelet donations. We also want to extend a warm thank you to all of the companies throughout the Marietta community who have contributed to helping us make this celebration very special for our donors,” he says.

The Red Cross currently is making an emergency appeal to all donors to give blood and platelets in August because of a critical shortage in the state. More people need to donate in order for there to be enough blood and platelets for patients in need of transfusions. Because the Red Cross distributes blood to 140 hospitals in the region and blood is used to save lives everyday, at least 1,200 donations are needed each weekday to replenish supplies and ensure that the continuing need for blood is met.

Blood and platelet donors must be age 17 or older and weigh at least 110 pounds. Blood cells replace themselves, which enables most people to safely give blood every 56 days and platelets every two weeks.  If all eligible donors gave blood twice a year there would never be shortages. For more information and to find out how to make a donation appointment, please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE or visit www.givebloodredcross.org