Gas for Blood?

[cassiesmom]

What's wrong with this picture? This just doesn't seem appropriate to me. From NBC5 Chicago Web site.

Red Cross Offering Gas For Blood
Lucky Winner Will Get $3,500 In Gasoline

POSTED: 8:43 am CDT June 6, 2007

PHILADELPHIA -- American Red Cross officials are offering the chance to win free gasoline as an incentive to get more Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents to donate blood.

This summer, each donor will automatically be entered in a drawing to win $3,500 worth of gasoline. Entries for the first drawing, July 23, are already being accepted. An identical raffle will start July 23 and run through Sept. 16.

Every day, the Red Cross also will award a $25 gas card to a randomly selected donor.

The Red Cross chapter runs about 25 blood drives each day throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey. During summers, it struggles to get blood donations.

To donate, residents must be healthy, be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. They can donate blood every 56 days.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.

[smokey the elder]

Sure lends new meaning to the phrase "blood for oil"!

[jackie]

Anything that gets people thinking about donating is a good thing to me.

[Sirrahsim]

Sounds like a great idea to me I am ineligible to donate but if I could I certainly would.

[CathyBogart]

If I lived in that area it would certainly get me to donate.

[Jessika]

I don't see anything wrong with it. Even if it gets greedy people to donate, they are still donating to a worthwhile cause, even if their intentions are only to try to win free gas.

I'm scared of having my blood drawn, but that would give me more incentive to do it I suppose.

[lizbud]

Sure lends new meaning to the phrase "blood for oil"!

Yep. It's a creative way to raise blood donations.

[smokey the elder]

I'm not saying I have a problem with it. At my job they give out free lunches and you can get into a drawing for gift points. Donating blood does take time, after all, so I think sweetening the pot, within reason, is ok.