Prior Lake, Minn. – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community hosted another successful holiday blood drive on December 10. A total of 61 people turned out on a very cold day to help address the desperate need for blood.

Because whole blood contains three essential components – plasma, platelets, and red blood cells – the 61 units of whole blood and the 24 units of double red cells collected at the Dakotah! Sport & Fitness blood drive can be used to save up to 207 lives.

According to Memorial Blood Centers, the SMSC’s blood drive partner, someone in the local community needs blood every two seconds. Typically during the holiday season, blood donations decline while demand increases.

26 years of SMSC blood drives

For more than 26 years, the SMSC has sponsored blood drives. The SMSC has held 44 blood drive events since 1998 for Minnesota-based Memorial Blood Centers, resulting in 3,165 donated units of blood. In 2012 alone, the SMSC ranked 19th in blood drive donations, with 339 units collected. It is the only community-sponsored blood drive in the top 20, with all of the others being corporate drives.

The SMSC’s 2014 blood drives are scheduled for April 15, August 12, and December 9.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to community partnerships, charitable donations, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has also donated nearly $272 million to organizations and causes and paid more than $7.6 million for shared local road projects since 1992, in addition to funding its own infrastructure and contributing generously to regional governments and infrastructure.