Blood Buzz Newsletter – December 2025
Dear Donor,
As 2025 draws to a close, we have the privilege of looking back on a remarkable year marked by generosity, resilience and countless acts of quiet courage from donors across the Western Cape. Whether you donated once, encouraged a friend, or shared your enthusiasm for blood donation with people around you, you played a part in strengthening our lifesaving community.
In this final edition of Blood Buzz for 2025, you’ll find stories that highlight the heart of what we do — from the incredible impact of our Extra Drop Initiative and the compassionate community partnerships our staff support, to two moving testimonies from patients whose lives were forever changed because someone like you chose to give.
We’ve also included a behind-the-scenes look at the health side of blood donation, an inside view of those urgent SMS messages, and a full roundup of the campaigns that shaped 2025 — including Red Saturday, our school and varsity drives, and the new donor recruitment efforts that helped build the next generation of lifesavers. And of course, we celebrate our Top 10 blood-donating schools of the year, whose learners continue to inspire us all.
As we head into the festive season, I hope these stories remind you just how powerful your donation truly is. Thank you for your time, your trust and your unwavering commitment to saving lives. Your generosity continues to ripple far beyond the clinic doors.
Wishing you a restful, joyful and safe festive season.
Until next time,
Marike Carli
