BLOOD BANK OF DELMARVA LAUNCHES MAJOR CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE BLOOD DONATIONS IN WILMINGTON
Downtown blood donations have plummeted 63% in past decade
Wilmington, DE- To address an alarming trend at the Blood Bank of Delmarva's underutilized donor center at 913 North Market Street in Wilmington, the organization kicked off a major public awareness campaign.
Watch VIDEO from the campaign launch- The News Journal
"We have seen blood donations at our downtown Wilmington Center plummet drastically," said Bob Travis, President and CEO of Blood Bank of Delmarva. "Since the late 1980s, the center consistently had about 8,000 blood donors a year. Now, we are only able to schedule about 3,000 donors a year. If we can't increase usage at that location, we may have to begin looking for another place to go."
The Wilmington Center first opened in 1984. For about 15 years, the center contributed more than 13% of the total blood supply on Delmarva. It is now only contributing 4%.
The public awareness campaign began Wednesday, October 31 with a "Paint the Town Red" event in front of 913 North Market Street, the location of the Blood Bank's Wilmington Center.
- Wilmington Mayor James Baker painted a red stripe down Market Street to recognize the importance of blood donations in the downtown community.
- Mayor Baker presented Blood Bank of Delmarva with a proclamation declaring October 31, 2007 "Paint the Town Red" Day.
- The William Penn High School marching band performed- representing the school that has consistently held the largest one-day blood drive on Delmarva.
- Top executives from several businesses received the new "Red Drop Partner" award for their strong membership support and for permitting their employees to give blood during work hours.
- Three City of Wilmington "VIPs" donated blood at the Wilmington Center (Bill Montgomery- Chief of Staff, Michael Szczerba- Police Chief, George Cunningham- Deputy Fire Chief).
"Paint the Town Red" Day also officially launched a 3-month promotion at the Wilmington Center, including extensive advertising, a public information program, and daily promotional giveaways for each blood donor.
For every day the Wilmington center is open, Tuesday through Friday until January 31, 2008, donors will receive a special gift as follows:
T-shirt Tuesday- limited edition t-shirt
Warm-up Wednesday- fleece blanket
Travel-mug Thursday- commemorative mug
Forget-your-lunch Friday- packed lunch by Bean Bag Cafe
Blood Bank of Delmarva has three other permanent donor centers (Newark and Dover, DE and Salisbury, MD) and 27 locations throughout Delmarva visited by the Bloodmobile. For more information on this promotion, click here.
