Al-Futtaim Motors holds 8th blood donation drive in support of ‘My Blood for My Country' campaign

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 18th, 2015: Continuing its support for the “My Blood for My Country” initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Hino, recently held its 8th blood donation drive, at its Toyota showroom in Musaffah in Abu Dhabi, as part of the company’s corporate responsibility activities towards the UAE community.

Held under “My Blood for the UAE” banner, the blood donation activity was conducted in partnership with Abu Dhabi Blood Centre. It welcomed more than 102 donors from across the Al-Futtaim Motors business as well as enthusiastic showroom visitors, receiving a total sum of 45,900 ml of blood which will be used in life saving procedure for up to 306 individuals.

Every year Abu Dhabi Blood Bank supplies more than 25,000 units of blood (a total of over 40,000 blood products) to help save the lives of patients.  Al-Futtaim Motors and the Abu Dhabi Blood Centre work together to ensure there is a constant and regular supply of blood available for when the need arises.

“We have consistently provided support for blood donation drives across our businesses in the UAE as a way of giving back to the community,” said Jon Williams, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Motors. “Six decades ago, this company was founded in Dubai and quickly expanded to become one of the foremost automotive distributors in the UAE, engraining itself as part of the fabric of the nation. All these years later, we still believe that giving back to the community is part of our ethos, and our nation’s capital plays a vital role in the growth of our business, which is why this year, Abu Dhabi will be the scene for some of our most exciting developments yet.”

Blood transfusions can help save the lives of Thalassemia patients, road accident and burn victims, patients with neonates and maternity health complications, as well as cases diagnosed with cancer or scheduled for open heart operations. Regularly giving blood also means regular checking of blood pressure and haemoglobin levels, and helps prevent build-up of iron in the body over time, activates the bone marrow to produce fresh blood cells.

Blood donors should be in good health, between 17 years 65 years of age and weighing at least 50kg. Donors should also be free of medication and chronic health conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure or diabetes. Healthy individuals can donate blood every 90 days, up to four times per year.