BLOOD DONORS CRUSH DONATION RECORD AT 12TH ANNUAL BEACH BLANKET BLOOD DRIVE
Two-day blood drive brought in 784 blood donors - the most ever in the history of the event
Ocean City, MD - The 12th Annual Beach Blanket Blood Drive was a record-breaker. A total of 784 people registered to give blood at the Ocean City Convention Center on January 19 and 20 - the most ever recorded in the 11-year history of the event.
"There are hundreds of people to thank for their role in making this event a success. The turnout was phenomenal and, as a result, so many lives have been saved," said Carrie Aiken, spokesperson for Blood Bank of Delmarva.
The blood drive was established in 1999 to promote blood donation during the winter, a time when blood supplies traditionally dip as donors are kept away by colds and flu, bad weather and holiday travel. In its first year, the two-day event registered fewer than 300 donors; the 2009 drive registered 655 donors - a former record high.
The Beach Blanket Blood Drive is sponsored by the Town of Ocean City, which has donated the use of the Convention Center since the event's inception. The co-sponsor is the Coastal Association of REALTORS, which helps promote the event and provides dozens of volunteers for the information tables and canteen. Several Ocean City businesses donated thousands of dollars worth of food and beverages to the canteen (post-blood donation area) and helped underwrite the cost of the free t-shirts provided to donors.
