Red Cross offers movie tickets to blood donors

OTHELLO — The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive in Othello on July 23, where donors can have a chance to save a life and get a free movie ticket to boot.

According to Red Cross spokesperson Betsy Robertson, anyone who donates blood or platelets to the Red Cross during the month of July will be emailed a free movie ticket from Fandango, usable at the AMC Classic Theater in Kennewick, among others. The ticket giveaway is in partnership with Universal Pictures to promote their new film “Twisters,” but the ticket is valid for any movie if used before the end of the year, Robertson said. 

Additionally, each donor in July will be automatically entered in a drawing to win a 2025 Ram 1500 Bighorn pickup, Robertson said.

The drive will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Othello Church of the Nazarene, 835 S. 10th Ave. Robertson said both plasma and platelets are needed, particularly type O.

“We continue to see a stressed blood supply and we are always working to keep that stable,” Robertson said. “What happens in the summer is that regular donors drop, and the summer is also recognized as a time for more car accidents, especially among teen drivers. It’s those trauma cases and critical care that account for more than a quarter of all blood products that are used.”