Blood Bank of Delmarva is launching its 16th annual summer blood donation awareness campaign early next week.
BBD’s Summer Blood Drive kicks off on Monday, May 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Christiana Donor Center, 100 Hygeia Drive, Newark. The launch is open to the public. BBD will have tours and WJBR will be on location broadcasting live with Michael Waite.
The event will feature guests and remarks from BBD Executive Director Michele Hart-Henry.
Guests include New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, a blood donor; John Gentile, staff assistant for U.S. Senator Tom Carper, a longtime blood donor; Dr. Sherry Sixta, associate medical director of Christiana Care Health System’s Trauma Program; Michael Healy, director, Blood Bank Services at Christiana Care; blood recipient and accident survivor Elizabeth “Lee Lee” Cauffman and her mother, Chris Melvin; longtime platelets donor and former blood recipient John Nanni; University of Delaware Chief Technology Officer Daniel Grim, a longtime platelets donor; and Seaford High School seniors Hannah Henderson and Sky Doughty, coordinators of the Seaford High blood drives.
It takes more than 70,000 people each year throughout the Delmarva Peninsula to meet the needs of patients in the 19 hospitals. This year’s Summer Blood Drive aims to collect more than 30,000 units of blood.
Donors who present to donate between May 21 and Sept. 11 will be automatically entered to win the grand prize, a trip for four to Disney World. To learn more, visit summerblooddrive.com.
Those wishing to RSVP for the launch can call Tony Prado at aprado@bbd.org.
BBD serves all the hospitals in the Delmarva Peninsula with donor centers in Chadds Ford, PA.; Christiana, DE; Dover DE; and Salisbury, MD. For more information, visit www.delmarvablood.org.
