Young Kamloops athletes help share the importance of blood donation

KAMLOOPS — The demand for blood is constant. According to Canadian Blood Services, 100,000 new donors are needed each year to keep up with patient demand. Last year, the Kamloops Blazers partnered with Hockey Gives Blood to raise awareness about the issue.

Hockey Gives Blood is a non-profit society founded in 2018 by former hockey players. It has partnered with the Canadian Blood Services to engage the young generation and the entire hockey community about the importance of blood, plasma, stem cell and organ and tissue donation.

“There’s lots of people in the world who need blood and stem cells. Just taking the time out of your day to donate some blood and get it to someone who is in need is a great thing,” said Emmitt Finnie, a Blazers player ambassador.

Hockey Gives Blood has young leaders like Finnie speaking about blood donation to set an example for others.

“It’s really about connecting with the younger generation of donors,” said Stu Middleton, co-founder of the organization. “When you take the average 17-year-old, they’re probably not too aware of how important blood donation and stem cell donation is in Canada. When you have players like Emmitt, it’s a really good conduit for them to listen and use that platform once again.”

Another young player who is speaking up about the importance of blood donation is Lizzie Harbaruk. She spent part of her childhood at B.C. Children’s Hospital for treatment and had her life saved by blood donations.

“I think it’s a really good campaign. We’re trying to spread the positivity to all the young people to hopefully knowledge them on how important this is and how it can change many people’s lives. And I’m hoping that a bunch of young people understand,” she said.

Now in their second year partnering with Hockey Gives Blood, the Blazers raised $6,500 dollars at a recent game.

“That money really gets put to good use. It really is being used for donor recruitment. There’s such a need in Canada with 100,000 new donors needed each year. Having Emmitt use [his] platform to help do that really does go a long way,” Middleton explained.

Hockey Gives Blood hopes to expand support for its campaign. Anyone interested in helping, can book an appointment or financially donate on hockeygivesblood.ca.