If you knew there was a 96 percent chance someone close to you would need your help someday, wouldn't you do something to prepare for it?

You can. By giving blood.

According to American Red Cross statistics, there is a 96 percent chance that an individual will need blood sometime during the course of his or her life.

As the Red Cross kicks off the Penn State-Temple Lifesaver Cup Blood Drive today, the need for blood remains critical.

People can donate today at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center between 12 and 5 p.m. Other blood drives will be held through Feb. 10 at various locations on campus.

The whole process takes less than an hour, and when your pint of blood is broken into its component parts -- including blood plasma and red blood cells -- it can help save the lives of three to four people.

Those three or four people could be your boyfriend, girlfriend or even your mom or dad.

Since someone you know might eventually need blood, isn't it worth donating? You could save a loved one's life, or maybe even your own.