Blood Supply Gets A Boost

Sylvan Miori is on a one man crusade to find a solution to the nation's shrinking blood supply.

"The blood supply is very fragile, we are hours away, one day away from a blood crisis everyday," says Jackie Fredrick of the American Red Cross.

Miori is a Texas philanthropist who founded an organization to give school supplies to students who hold blood drives, reports CBS News Correspondent Maureen Maher.

Without more volunteers like him, next year's demand for blood could outstrip the nationwide supply.

"I know there is a blood shortage and so I feel like that we need to get a new generation of blood donors and there's no one better than these young kids that are 17 years old," he says.

Medical advances, tougher donor screening and an aging population of both those who give and those who need blood are forcing organizations to look for new ways to attract donors.

"In this country only about five percent of the population who are eligible actually donates," says Frederick.

Thus far, Miori's innovative efforts in Texas have brought in 23,000 pints of blood.

"You can get the funding, you can get the school support, but you have to have the Sylvan Mioris of the world to come in with their heart and do the program. Without that it doesn't work," says Bill Teague of the Blood Center of Houston.

"I stressed to the kids that it doesn't make any difference whether we're white, black, brown, or yellow - our blood is all red," says Miori.

Miori, a grandfather of five, hopes the lesson he is teaching will reach all generations: that giving blood can mean the difference between life and death.