REGULAR blood donor Jeff Costello is inspiring his teammates to roll up their sleeves.
The Joondalup Giants Rugby League Club vice president has rallied not only his club but all rugby league clubs in WA to join the Australian Red Cross Blood Service’s Red25 challenge.
“Red25 is all about making people aware of the importance of giving blood and adding some friendly competition between, in our case, sporting clubs,” Mr Costello said.
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READ NOWHaving recently notched up 75 donations, he said he wanted to help after hearing patients talk about the difference blood donation has made in their lives.
“I was at the Edgewater centre giving blood and saw the armed forces donating for the Defence Force Challenge and thought this would be a great way to promote awareness for more people to donate,” he said.
“So I asked how the rugby league community could get involved.
“I put it to the chief executive of NRLWA, John Sackson, and he was equally keen to get the challenge going.”
Mr Costello said the challenge, which runs until mid-September, involved all NRLWA clubs, with the Giants currently sitting top of the ladder.
“This is not only a lifesaving cause but can bring happiness and comfort to the families of the patients and show that people do care,” he said.
“We have had people in our club who have had a family member or friend diagnosed with cancer and other conditions and I know that giving blood, plasma or platelets can help in many ways.
“The important thing is that we need more people to be aware of the importance in giving blood; we can never have too much.”
Red25 aims to ensure 25 per cent of the country’s blood donations are secured, with each donation counting towards a group’s tally.
Visit www.donateblood.com.au/red25.
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