In seeking to expand on the success of its May 10 blood drive, 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc. is partnering again with the American Red Cross in August to host Central New York’s First Annual “Community that Cares – Diversity Blood Drive.”

The drive will be held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at Bethany Baptist Church, 149 Beattie Street in Syracuse. The mission of this initiative is to address the need for increased blood donation among diverse populations.

Schedule a donation appointment online

Here’s why you should participate:

• Five percent of the total eligible U.S. population gives blood, and only 1% of the African-American community donates blood.

  • Blood transfusions are an important part of the treatment, healing and recovery for diseases prevalent in the African-American community. They include lupus, diabetes, prostate cancer and Sickle Cell Anemia.

• Diverse populations have a different frequency of the main blood types.

  • Approximately 45 percent of Caucasians are type O, but 51 percent of African Americans and 57 percent of Hispanics are type O.

  • Type O is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals—both because it is the most common blood type and because type O negative blood, in particular, is the universal type needed for emergency transfusions.

  • Certain blood types are unique to specific diverse populations — it is essential that the donor diversity match the patient diversity.

  • For example, U-negative and Duffy-negative blood types are unique to the African-American community. So Sickle cell patients with these blood types must rely on donors with matching blood types in the African-American community.