Celebrating Volunteers, Spring Giving & Our 75-Year Legacy
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month—a perfect time to celebrate the incredible impact of those who give their time, energy, and blood to help others. From our dedicated volunteers to our loyal donors like you, your generosity fuels every life saved.
This spring, we’re loving the sunshine—and so are you! Donors are really enjoying the ‘Save The Humans’ T-shirts, and we’re thrilled to see the support blooming and new donors walking through our doors.
As we continue celebrating our 75th Anniversary, we invite you to join the Guardians Circle and unlock exclusive donor appreciation opportunities and rewards throughout 2025. It’s our way of honoring those who show up, give back, and make a difference.
We’re all in this together. And we’re creating hope—one donation, one volunteer, one life at a time.
With heartfelt thanks,
Your Blood Bank Family
Blood Supply Needs
Blood Types A-, O-, O+ are in-demand.
All blood types are needed. Schedule your next donation today! Walk-ins welcome.
💻 Log In to Donor Portal
📞 Call (619) 400-8251
News
WonderCon Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Blood Drive Collects More than 500 Units of Blood!
We may be known for rallying heroes at San Diego Comic-Con every year, but this spring we added another Comic-Con convention to our list—WonderCon!
It was our first year hosting, and WonderCon’s 17th, and we wanted to break the record. Our amazing community helped us do that and then some! We collected more than 500 units of blood in partnership with WonderCon, the Heinlein Society, Comic-Con International, Marvel, and Mad Engine.
WonderCon Blood Drive welcomed 362 FIRST-TIME donors!
Thank you to all of the amazing blood donors, volunteers, and staff for making this event a success while we do what we do best—save lives!
We hope donors enjoyed being heroes for the community and scoring exclusive rewards including stickers, pins, and a limited-edition Marvel Thunderbolts T-shirt, for participating in this incredible event. Some memorable donors included a human Rubik’s Cube (on their head!), Wilma, Fred, Barney and Betty from the Flintstones, some hungry vampires, and many more super-hero donors.
We can’t wait for next year and Comic-Con in July!
Celebrating Our Volunteers
This April we’re celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Month, and while we love to spotlight our volunteers now, we truly celebrate them all year long.
Their dedication, heart, and generosity fuel our mission and help save lives every single day.
From greeting donors and supporting staff at donor centers to helping at blood drives and special events, our volunteers are the steady hands behind the scenes—keeping everything running smoothly and creating a warm, welcoming experience for all.
We’re thrilled to recognize several volunteers reaching amazing milestones:
Walter P will celebrate his 30th anniversary as a volunteer in May—and just reached his 80-gallon milestone!💪🩸 (pictured)
Pat R and John S are both marking 20 years of service as East County Donor Center volunteers.
Ed L, also a committed blood donor, is celebrating 20 years of volunteering.
Mike F is marking 15 years—a former blood donor, Mike volunteers at North County Donor Center and most recently started helping at blood drives, too.
Teri O is a dedicated blood donor and is celebrating 5 years as a volunteer in 2025. (pictured)
To every volunteer, past and present—thank you.
Your time, talent, and passion create a ripple effect of hope across our community. We are honored to have your support.
Interested in volunteering with San Diego Blood Bank?
Learn More
County of San Diego and San Diego Blood Bank Celebrate 41 years of Saving Lives Together
San Diego Blood Bank and the County of San Diego received a proclamation acknowledging 41 incredible years of saving lives together.
On April 1 , we kicked off the April drives with an Inauguration event with county staff, Dr. Jennifer Tuteur County of SD HHSA Chief Medical Officer, Evan Bridgham from the office of County Supervisor, Tara Lawson-Remer, dedicated blood donor Stephen Rae, and SDBB Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Edmunds
With more than 20 blood drives happening at county offices this month, there are ample opportunities for the public to help save lives and score your Save The Humans T-shirt!
FUNDRAISING FOR VEHICLES
The journey of a blood donation begins with an incredible act of kindness.
When a community member rolls up their sleeve to help others at a blood drive, that donation can only arrive at a hospital to treat a patient when there is reliable, expedient, and efficient transportation and delivery.
From a volunteer blood donor to our San Diego Blood Bank labs to our hospital partners where all the life-saving action happens—your support of transport vehicles impacts life!
Help keep our mission in motion ensuring patients have access to blood when they need it most.
Make your gift today to help fund vital transport vehicles.
Last Chance
PROMOTION: April 1 - 30, 2025
ALL LOCATIONS
"Save The Humans" T-shirt For April Donors
You have a bit more time to donate blood in April at any blood drive or donor center to take home an exclusive “Save The Humans” Long-Sleeve T-shirt!
You don’t want to miss out on this out of this world promotion
**While sizes and supplies last. Blood donors presenting at any mobile blood drive or donor center between 4/1/25 – 4/30/25 will receive a limited-edition ‘Save the Humans’ long-sleeved T-shirt. All donor appreciation items are non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and have no market value.
Mark Your Calendar
PROMOTION: MAY 1 - 30, 2025
SAN DIEGO EXCLUSIVE
🩸 Give a little — Shine a Lot! 🌟 Donate Blood in May at any San Diego Blood Bank donor center or blood drive and take home a coupon* for a Complimentary ‘Magic Joe’ Car Wash ($25 value) at Soapy Joe’s, while supplies last.
A ‘MAGIC JOE’ Car Wash at Soapy Joe’s includes: 
Wash 
Protect 
Magic Glaze 
Magic Graphene 
Air Freshener + Access to Vacuums & Towels
**While supplies last. Blood donors presenting at any San Diego Blood Bank mobile blood drive or donor center between 5/1/25-5/31/25 will receive one (1) coupon for a complimentary ‘Magic Joe’ Soapy Joe’s car wash valued at $25. All donor appreciation items are non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and have no market value. Magic Joe Car Wash Coupons are valid at all Soapy Joe’s San Diego locations. Hours vary by location. Valid for one transaction only.**
BLOOD DRIVE: MAY 4, 2025
May the 4th Be With You! Donate blood at the Comic-Con Museum on Star Wars Day!
Donors will receive one (1) complimentary ticket* for entry to the Comic-Con Museum AND a Coupon* for a Complimentary ‘Magic Joe’ Car Wash at Soapy Joe’s, while supplies last.
There will also be a photo opportunity with fun cosplayers at the drive if you’re lucky to donate when they are there. Help save the galaxy with us on May 4th!
The drive is Sunday, May 4, 2025, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park
**Complimentary Comic-Con Museum Tickets are exclusively available while supplies last ONLY for presenting blood donors at May the 4th Blood Drive on May 4, 2025. Limited to one per donor.** While supplies last. Blood donors presenting at any San Diego Blood Bank mobile blood drive or donor center between 5/1/25-5/31/25 will receive one (1) coupon for a complimentary ‘Magic Joe’ Soapy Joe’s car wash valued at $25. All donor appreciation items are non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and have no market value. Magic Joe Car Wash Coupons are valid at all Soapy Joe’s San Diego locations. Hours vary by location. Valid for one transaction only.**
FUNDRAISER: MAY 3 & 4, 2025
Kendra Scott is doing a GIVE BACK on May 3 & 4, 2025.
20% of in-store and online promo code purchases benefit San Diego Blood Bank!
- Shop in-store at Kendra Scott — UTC
ONLY Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Mention “SDBB” at Check-Out - Shop online with promo code: GIVEBACK-JCUFE
ANYTIME Saturday, May 3 – Sunday, May 4, 2025
Thank you for supporting our life-saving mission!
BLOOD DRIVE: MAY 22, 2025
Join us for the Padres Summer Blood Drive in Gallagher Square at Petco Park!
Blood Donors will get exclusive rewards while supplies last. Stay tuned for announcements on this year’s drive.
**Goodies and promotional items are available while supplies last ONLY for presenting blood donors at Padres Summer Blood Drive on May 22, 2025. Blood donor incentives have no cash value and are not for resale. Not redeemable for cash. Not transferrable.**
Guardians Circle News
In March, Guardians chose between a chance to win in 1 of SEVEN $500 e-gift code raffles or take a guaranteed $5 Amazon e-gift code.
Congrats to our winners who tried their luck!
🌟Linda W — Amazon
🌟Steven C — Darden Restaurants
🌟Stanley L — Delta Airlines
🌟Kevin K — Lowe’s
🌟Vincenzo Z — Mastercard
🌟Lorelei W — Southwest Airlines
🌟Samuel K — Target
This month all Guardians who are not eligible to donate during the April ‘Save the Humans’ T-shirt promotion received an exclusive offer to receive the T-shirt. We love recognizing your lifesaving impact and appreciating you—even between donations!
We are very grateful for the over 13,300 Guardians who are committed to their pledge of donating within 8 weeks of becoming eligible to donate. If you are not yet a Guardian, you can join online from your donor portal!
We’re celebrating our 75th Anniversary with exclusive Guardians appreciation gifts that will be offered to Guardians who donate 3, 5, 10, 16, or 20* times this year. We can’t wait to announce the special branded items very soon!
Learn more about Guardians Circle 75th Anniversary Celebration rewards
*Please note:
- Only plasma/platelet donors can donate 10+ times a year.
- Only platelet donors can donate 16+ times.
- Guardians qualify for the 75th Anniversary Pin reward when they donate a least 1x in each quarter of 2025: Q1: Jan –Mar | Q2: Apr-Jun | Q3: July-Sep | Q4: Oct-Dec
- Already reached a one of these milestones? Stay tuned for redemption info in early May!
Questions about your Guardians status? Didn’t receive your email offer? Contact us at donorservices@sdbb.org
