Donating blood is the feel-good summer activity that has real impact on you & your community
Whether it's helping a stranger whose car is stuck in the snow, holding the door open from too far away or just apologizing a bunch, Canadians get stereotyped for being kind all the time.
And honestly, if the national reputation is kindness and generosity, that's a pretty good one to have. A point of pride, even.
Which is why it's a little surprising that when it comes to giving blood, only 2% of eligible people in Canada currently do it. Maybe that would change if people realized how much you can get back when you give.
At a time when so much of life happens through screens, notifications and endless scrolling, showing up somewhere in real life and helping someone you'll probably never meet can feel incredibly grounding.
Yes, donating blood helps save lives. But many donors also walk away with something themselves — a sense of purpose, connection and the feeling that they did something genuinely meaningful for another person that day.
Each time you make a blood or plasma donation, someone, somewhere across the country, will have a chance to be well thanks to you. And that feeling of being part of something bigger is something you get to keep with you.
June 8-14 is National Blood Donor Week, and Canadian Blood Services is inviting new donors to experience firsthand what you get when you give. It's also an especially important time to donate, since appointments often drop during the summer months while the need for blood and plasma stays constant.
That idea of showing up for each other is part of why Canadian Blood Services hopes to welcome one million new donors by 2030 — inviting more Canadians to become part of something bigger than themselves: Canada's Lifeline.
To experience what you get when you give, book an appointment at blood.ca, through the GiveBlood app or by calling 1-888-2-DONATE.
A Canadian Blood Services' stem cell swab kit.
Kianni Reynolds-Lewis collects a cheek swab for the stem cell swab kit.
Kianni Reynolds-Lewis dressed comfy for her plasma donation.
Kianni Reynolds-Lewis and Percy at the donor centre. 
Kianni Reynolds-Lewis and Percy at the donor centre. 
Kianni Reynolds-Lewis.
