News and Events

Joe Yaritz was riding his motorcycle down Route 213 in Elkton, MD on June 11 when a car turned into him and hit his leg. He crashed, severely injuring his left leg and suffering multiple fractures and abrasions on his hands and arms. He was losing a lot of blood and was airlifted to the hospital.

Ultimately, Joe lost his leg and needed 47 pints of blood to survive.

After hearing about his accident, more than 80 of Joe's friends and co-workers at W. L. Gore and Associates made appointments to give blood in his honor.

"I am really thankful and blessed to work with good people and have such great friends," Joe said. "It is truly overwhelming to think about how many people came together in my time of need to make sure I survived."

Because of blood donors and quick medical attention, Joe is recovering from his injuries and he continues to improve every day.

Please make an appointment to give blood and help patients like Joe. Call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or click HERE.

Nearly 7,000 blood donations help patients survive accidents and life-threatening illnesses

NEWARK, DE - Students on Delmarva reached a new milestone this school year - and it's one for the record books.

Seventy-five high schools and colleges across the Peninsula held more blood drives this past school year than ever before, resulting in a record number of blood donations. A total of 6,909 blood donations were collected at 119 school blood drives from September 2008 to May 2009 - up nearly 3.5% from 6,684 donations the previous school year.

"Students help plan and promote the drive, recruit donors, set up equipment, and serve refreshments in the canteen during the blood drive. The rapid growth and success of this program show that teenagers and young adults do care about the community and want to help," said Lauren Bacon, the Blood Bank's school program coordinator.

School blood drives consistently contribute 8% of all the blood donated on Delmarva. The program started in 1984 with just 140 donations at two schools. Today the program is critical for attracting students to become lifelong blood donors. Currently less than 7% 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.

Students, their families and friends can continue to give blood and get credit for their schools in the blood drive competition this summer by giving blood at any Blood Bank location through August 31, 2009.

NEWARK, DE - Blood Bank of Delmarva will join blood centers around the globe to observe World Blood Donor Day on June 14. The annual event, hosted in Australia this year, highlights the role blood donors play in saving the lives and improving the health of millions each year.

"World Blood Donor Day is designed to celebrate the unsung heroes that voluntarily donate blood and save lives," said Robert L. Travis, President and CEO of Blood Bank of Delmarva. "Over the past year, we've had more than 83,000 blood donations. That's remarkable. We take this opportunity to thank our donors and ask people to spread the word that blood donations save lives and are needed every day in every part of the world."

Blood Bank of Delmarva's strong foundation of members and regular blood donors has helped the organization avoid serious blood shortages that often affect other areas of the country and world. Thousands of Blood Bank members are currently enrolled in the plateletpheresis program and donate platelets (a component of blood critically needed to treat people with leukemia and cancer) as often as every two weeks. There is also a "LifeSaver" program with more than 31,500 Blood Bank members who have signed up to be "on-call" when there is an extra need for their blood type. More than 350 blood donors are needed every day on Delmarva to support the blood supply at local hospitals.

The Blood Bank encourages everyone to observe World Blood Donor Day by making an appointment to give blood at one of the 33 convenient locations on Delmarva. Call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or click HERE.