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Patients across the nation are in trouble. The pool of donors providing millions of Americans with life-saving blood is declining at a detrimental rate. Roughly 45% of the nation’s blood donors are over 50 years old, and as the population ages, it gets harder to maintain the levels needed to save lives.

This World Blood Donor Day, celebrated June 14, The Community Blood Center (CBC) highlighted the critical need for regular blood donations. And to help engage a new generation of young donors, CBC has partnered with Team Liquid, a multi-regional, professional esports organization with a national fanbase of more than seven million gamers.

The Community Blood Center-Team Liquid partnership takes aim at a key demographic – less than 20% of blood donations come from millennials (age 20-34 years), and young males donate at even lesser rates.

“The average age of blood donors is increasing and that is concerning,” said John Hagins, President and CEO, The Community Blood Center.  “We need to engage the younger donors today to ensure a stable and reliable blood supply for tomorrow and the future. The partnership with Team Liquid provides us with an exciting opportunity to showcase the life-saving power of blood donation to a new audience.”

Custom, limited edition “Team Liquid Turns Red” t-shirts will be offered to the first 100 new donors who present to donate as a result of the Team Liquid partnership.

“We’re proud to partner with Blood Centers of America and its members on this life-saving initiative,” said Team Liquid’s CEO, Steve Arhancet. “Our fans are such a supportive, tight-knit community, and now we’re calling on them to help us accomplish something bigger than what we could achieve in any competition. Collectively, we have the opportunity to make a measurable impact on communities as well as save lives.”

The partnership with Team Liquid is through Blood Centers of America (BCA) and its more than 50 members, including The Community Blood Center. BCA is the nation’s largest blood supply network, providing nearly 40% of the nation’s blood supply.

The need for blood is significant. Every two seconds, an American needs blood. One whole pint of blood can save three or more lives. As the blood provider for Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, CBC ensures donated blood reaches patients at hospitals and health systems nationwide.

“Blood collected at CBC stays local,” said Hagins. “We rely on both current blood donors and the consistent addition of new volunteer blood donors to help us meet the demands of the local patients in our community. We are encouraging Team Liquid fans to learn more about the importance of blood donation and schedule an appointment today.”