Thanks to Tesoro Foundation, South Texas Blood & Tissue Center can roll out new bus
San Antonio, Texas (PRWEB) December 30, 2016 -- The Tesoro Foundation and the South Texas Blood & Center (STBTC), the nonprofit community blood bank for more than 40 counties in South Texas, announce a Tesoro Foundation grant for a brand-new bloodmobile. The state-of-the-art blood collection bus will travel up to 20,000 miles per year around South Texas receiving lifesaving blood donations from generous donors who roll up their sleeves to help others.
“We couldn’t be more humbled and grateful for the wonderful gift from our longtime partner Tesoro,” said Elizabeth Waltman, chief operating officer of STBTC. “They’ve held blood drives on their campus for years, and their fantastic employees step up every time to help patients in need in our area. They know firsthand how critical it is to make sure we have blood on the shelves for those patients and how our bloodmobiles are key to accomplishing that.”
The $320,000 grant will fund a bloodmobile equipped with modern technology to facilitate an easier and more comfortable donation process. The brand-new vehicle bearing the Tesoro name will take the place of a bloodmobile that has been on the road for more than 20 years.
"At Tesoro, we value the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others and are committed to collaborating with our stakeholders to create stronger, safer communities where we operate,” said Jared Skok, executive director of the Tesoro Foundation. “We are proud to support the lifesaving work of STBTC.”
STBTC receives more than 130,000 donations every year, with 79 percent of the blood being donated at 3,000 mobile drives held across 44 counties in Central and South Texas – blood collection buses that are parked at schools, shopping centers and workplaces where donors can conveniently stop by and save a life.
“Tesoro truly understands that giving blood is a community responsibility, and it is their hope the new bus will encourage more people to donate in a brand-new high-tech environment where the donation process will be comfortable, safe and easy. We truly appreciate their support through this gift as well as their quarterly and highly successful blood drives,” Waltman said.
Learn more about blood donation and schedule an appointment to give at http://www.southtexasblood.org.
About the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center: The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) is a nonprofit community blood center that provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to more than 70 hospitals in 40 South Texas counties. It is the largest blood supplier in our region. STBTC has a proud 42-year history serving the South Texas community. The center operates under the auspices of BioBridge Global, a nonprofit organization comprising services for regenerative medicine and research including blood banking and resource management; cellular therapy; umbilical cord blood collection and storage; donated human tissue recovery and distribution for transplant; and testing of blood and plasma products to help patients in the United States and worldwide. STBTC has seven donor rooms in South Texas and conducts hundreds of mobile blood drives each year. Visit us at http://www.southtexasblood.org.
Roger Ruiz, South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, +1 210-731-5542, [email protected]
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