‘We Are One’ completed 70,000 blood donations, the largest ever

Amid repeated blood shortages every winter, 70,000 young volunteers have donated their blood, the largest ever, in time for the start of the winter. 

As demand for blood continued due to COVID-19, We Are One (CEO Hong Joon-soo), a youth volunteer group, conducted a blood donation campaign aimed at donating blood from a total of 70,000 people from August 27 2022 to November 2022, when the winter begins, and a total of 73,807 young people in South Korea completed blood donations within 85 days. The number of people who participated in the blood donation campaign is 100,360, the largest record in group blood donation history. 

‘We Are One’ planned a group blood donation campaign last summer to solve a national crisis in which blood had become extremely scarce due to a decrease in blood donation participants during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. With the goal of completing blood donations of a total of 70,000 people by November to prepare for the winter season, along with summer vacations and Chuseok (Korea Thanksgiving Day) holidays, where blood supply and demand usually decrease, ‘We Are One’ members actively donated blood. Volunteers around the world, including many in the UK and Ireland, participated. 

As the campaign was held at blood centres in 17 metropolitan governments across South Korea, members of ‘We Are One’ across the country participated in blood donations, and 70,000 people donated blood on the 27th  of November, completing donations before December as planned. 

In order for many people to effectively complete blood donations in a short period of time, ‘We Are One’ focused on matching the situation of the blood centre and the individual’s schedule. Members also showed their best efforts to solve the blood shortage by paying special attention to health care and trying not to become ineligible for blood donation. 

In fact, about 100,000 ‘We Are One’ members across the country have visited blood centres for the past three months to participate in the campaign to achieve the goal of “70,000 blood donations before winter comes.” 

Hong Joon-soo, CEO of ‘We Are One’, said, “Blood donation is the only means of saving the life of a patient who needs a blood transfusion and is a noble service. I would like to thank the members who participated in the blood donation with a clear sense of calling to practice life sharing. ‘We Are One’ said, “We will continue to participate in blood donations in the future to overcome blood supply and demand difficulties and strengthen the safety net of the community.”  

Meanwhile, the youth volunteer group ‘We Are One’ was launched on July 30 as a volunteer group composed of young people from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.