BLOOD BANK OPENS NEW DONOR CENTER TO INCREASE DOWNTOWN BLOOD DONATIONS
City of Wilmington leaders roll up their sleeves in Grand Opening event
See PHOTOS from the event!
Wilmington, DE - To help increase blood donations in downtown Wilmington, Blood Bank of Delmarva has moved operations from the ninth floor of 913 North Market Street to a new donor center on the first floor of the same building. After experiencing a severe drop in downtown blood donations over the past decade, the organization is hoping the new street level location will improve its visibility and encourage word-of-mouth discussion about the center.
"The Wilmington Center first opened in 1984, and for about 15 years, we consistently had about 8,000 blood donors a year there. But this past year, we were only able to schedule about 3,000 donors," said Robert Travis, President and CEO of Blood Bank of Delmarva. "By moving to the first floor, we want to take our best shot at becoming more visible, increasing awareness of the center, and reversing this trend."
Wilmington Mayor James Baker joined Travis and other Blood Bank and city leaders at a Grand Opening event at the center on Friday, January 16 at 11am. There was an official ribbon-cutting and many high-profile attendees donated blood, including Police Chief Michael Szczerba, Chief of Staff Bill Montgomery, and 99.5 WJBR's morning host, Michael Waite.
New Perks for Wilmington Center Donors
Wilmington Center donors will enjoy some "perks" not offered at other Blood Bank locations. It has free WiFi, a gourmet coffee bar, and validated parking for blood donors (a new parking garage is located directly across the street on Shipley Street). The first 1000 donors will earn a chance to win a flat screen HDTV, one of ten framed prints by renowned local photographer Kevin Fleming, and one of sixteen of Fleming's best-selling books "Wild Delaware" and "Delaware."
"With so many Wilmington employees and people living north of the city, there is a lot of potential for growth in downtown blood donors," said Travis. "Hopefully, with the convenience of the new center, people will know where we are and realize how quick and easy it is to give blood and save lives."
The Wilmington center is now open every day - Monday to Friday - and has alternating day and evening hours. Blood Bank of Delmarva has 3 other permanent donor centers (Newark and Dover, DE and Salisbury, MD) and 29 locations throughout Delmarva visited by the Bloodmobile.
Click HERE for the latest pictures from the center and a virtual tour.
