There’s a lot to be cheerful about, as the end of the school year, warmer weather and the arrival of the travel/vacation season have most people in more chipper moods. But for some, summertime coincides with the “100 deadliest days,” the period from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day during which there is a dramatic increase in serious incidents such as car accidents, ATV crashes, sports-related injuries and other summertime activities.

Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio Valley called it “trauma season.”

Meanwhile, Kesselring said scheduled blood donations have dropped dramatically in recent weeks, and that there is — again — an urgent need for blood donations. That’s a problem because “A single person injured in a serious car accident can require up to 100 units of blood, she said.

All blood types are needed, and there are opportunities everywhere.

Local collection efforts include: June 22, July 6 and July 20, from 11 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. at Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church, 905 National Road in Wheeling; June 29 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Peace School, 690 Mt. Olivet Road in Wheeling; July 9 at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; July 15 from noon to 5 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3536 Eoff Street in Wheeling; July 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Oglebay Park, 1637 Waddington Drive in Wheeling; and July 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Vincent’s Marist Centre 2244 Marshall Avenue in Wheeling.

Because the Red Cross knows how hard it is to find willing and able donors, it has added some incentives such as a $15 e-gift card for donating blood and entry for a chance to win one of two $7,500 gift cards.

But donors shouldn’t be lured by financial gifts alone. It should be enough to know becoming a blood donor saves lives, and that the need is great. YOU can do something about it. Look up eligibility requirements at RedCrossBlood.org and get started on your donation journey today.