This article was originally published on daily-tribune.com

On Oct. 29, Blood Assurance will present Safe Trick-or-Treating at its Cartersville center, 921 B Joe Frank Harris Parkway. Kicking off at 9 a.m., the four-hour event will feature Halloween-themed activities for children and blood donation opportunities for adults.

“Next Saturday’s Safe Trick-or-Treating event is an opportunity for families to do something meaningful and fun on the Halloween weekend,” said Mindy Quinn, marketing manager for Blood Assurance. “It’s never too early to start teaching your children the importance of blood donations once they are old enough to donate. We will have plenty of candy and fun activities for kids to keep them entertained while the adults help us save local patients’ lives.”

Generally, most individuals 18 and older —  16 and 17 with parental consent — who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood every 56 days.

According to a news release from the regional blood center, “Blood Assurance encourages all who are able to donate, to consider taking 45 minutes out of their day to make a life-saving donation. … Most recently, Blood Assurance has experienced a critical need for all blood types, especially type O negative and positive.

“The organization encourages all who are able to donate, to stop by Blood Assurance on Oct. 29 with their entire family to make a difference in a local patient’s life. More than 540 volunteer blood donors are needed every day in order to adequately supply the 76 healthcare facilities where each blood donation is sent.”
For more information, visit www.bloodassurance.org or call 1-800-962-0628.