LOCAL STUDENTS ATTEMPT "LARGEST ONE-DAY HIGH SCHOOL BLOOD DRIVE ON DELMARVA" FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW
New Castle, DE - On Wednesday, February 27, students and staff from William Penn High School in New Castle attempted to break another record - by once again holding the largest one-day high school blood drive on the Delmarva Peninsula.
In the 2006-2007 school year, William Penn recruited 167 donors in one day- more than any of the other 63 high schools in the Blood Bank of Delmarva school blood drive program. They beat that number this year with 177 blood donors at the blood drive.
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"They have always been a role model school for the effort and enthusiasm they put into their blood drives," said Carrie Aiken, spokesperson for Blood Bank of Delmarva. "Throughout more than two decades of the high school blood drive program, William Penn has always been at the top or in the top two for the most student donors."
William Penn staff and students also submitted the most HERO cards in the 2006-2007 school year. HERO cards can be filled out after a blood donation at any Blood Bank of Delmarva donation site and credit is given to the school.
The School Blood Drive Program provides 8% of the blood supply on Delmarva. The program started in 1984 with just 140 donations at two schools. Last year, a total of 6,340 donations were collected at 107 school blood drives. The program is critical for attracting younger donors to become lifelong blood donors. Currently less than seven percent of all Blood Bank members are under the age of 35. By giving first time donors a good experience, the Blood Bank hopes to reverse this trend on Delmarva.
PHOTOS FROM BLOOD DRIVE:
