Add “blood donation” to your summer plans! The need for blood is constant, even during summer.

It that time of year to gear up for fun in the sun. School is out, vacations are planned and longstanding routines are replaced with carefree, casual days. It is also a time when the need for blood often outpaces donations.

High school and college students donate about 20 percent of the blood collected through the American Red Cross at scheduled drives on their campuses. When those drives are not held during the summer months, donation totals drop. In addition, individuals who donate regularly at their place of worship, workplace or a donor center may overlook giving blood when summer activities fill calendars.

Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. These individuals are someone’s friend, relative or neighbor.

Upcoming Red Cross blood drives in Kosciusko County include:

• 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, at Center Lake Pavilion, Warsaw
• 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, June 14, at Lake City Bank, South Buffalo Street, Warsaw
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 14, at Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Lowe’s, Warsaw
• 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, at Milford Christian Church, Milford
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Mentone United Methodist Church, Mentone

To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in Indiana and Ohio), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation’s blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization and is not a government agency. The Red Cross depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission.

For more information, visit www.redcross.org.