• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, August 11, 2008

Giving blood is one of the easiest ways to give something back to your community and beyond. This anonymous act of good will now has a public forum in Canada, where blood recipients can thank their anonymous donors.

Canadian Blood Services launched Thankyourdonor.ca in conjunction with National Blood Donor Week, offering beneficiaries an outlet to upload videos and pictures and share, in their own words, how receiving blood, platelets, plasma or stem cells has affected their lives. Each time someone creates a profile, a new red blood cell appears on the site.

Chances are that you will either choke up reading these stories or search for the nearest blood drive, or both, for that matter.

Tribal DDB Canada created the microsite, while Radar DDB in Vancouver developed the program and generated program awareness by creating groups on Facebook and MySpace.

There's also a YouTube dedicated channel featuring video thank you messages and information about the Canadian Blood Services campaign.

The story of an 11-year-old boy who was born prematurely and needed multiple blood transfusions is told in his own words - along with info on how his fragile state affected his parents and family. He then goes on to thank his anonymous donors and share his aspirations. And if that doesn't hit you, there are photos of Daniel as a preemie and passionate hockey player.

The campaign focuses less on the cause and more on the effect that blood donations have on recipients. Hopefully, the initiative will inspire others to donate blood and make a difference in someone's life.