Saving lives by solving cubes

Saving lives by solving cubes
Puzzle enthusiasts to donate blood and solve puzzles simultaneously

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August xx, Vancouver, BC - On Saturday, August 29, a group of Rubik’s Cube enthusiasts led by Vancouver residents Hong Chen and Vince Yim will be rolling up their sleeves for Canadian Blood Services, in an effort to promote Vancouver’s second annual speedsolving competition, while also raising public awareness of the need for blood donors.

“For most people, solving a Rubik’s Cube is difficult enough, let alone one-handed and while donating blood,” says Vince Yim, an active member in the local speedsolving community. “But this is a way we can improve our speedsolving skills while helping our community.”

The Labour Day long weekend is one of the most difficult times of year for Canadian Blood Services to collect blood, as many regular donors are on vacation or busy with outdoor activities. However, blood is needed everyday of the year.

“We want to remind people that many people can give blood and make it an enjoyable event!” says Yim.

Both Yim and Chen have been solving Rubik’s Cubes for several years and can easily solve the cube in less than 30 seconds under normal situations. The duo will be joined by three other members of their local speedsolving community at the Oak Street blood donor clinic, 4750 Oak Street, at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 29th.

While donating blood, the group will be promoting Vancouver’s second annual speedsolving competition, Vancouver Open 2009, to be held on September 12, 2009 at The Crystal Mall, 2819-4500 Kingsway Ave., in Burnaby. This competition is hosted by canadianCUBING (canadiancubing.com), which was co-founded in 2006 by Rubik’s Cube enthusiast Dave Campbell to promote the speedsolving community by connecting fellow Rubik’s Cube enthusiasts and hosting official competitions across the country.

The Rubik’s Cube was created by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik in 1974, where it went on to become one of the world’s best selling puzzles. This iconic toy of the 1980s has seen resurgence in popularity in the 21st century thanks to the Internet and international speedsolving competitions. The current official world record for fastest Rubik’s Cube solve is 7.08 seconds, set by Erik Akkersdjik in 2008.

Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. Canadian Blood Services also oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, and provides national leadership for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Canadian Blood Services operates 40 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. The provincial and territorial Ministries of Health provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.blood.ca.

Call 1-888-2-DONATE to book an appointment to donate blood.

Visit www.canadiancubing.com for more information on Vancouver Open 2009.

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For more information, please contact:
Vince Yim
Phone: 604.338.2011
E-mail: vancubers@gmail.com

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