DONORS PROVIDE NEARLY 600 PINTS OF BLOOD AT BEACH BLANKET BLOOD DRIVE
Ocean City, MD - There were 666 registered blood donors and 583 pints of blood collected at the 13th Annual Beach Blanket Blood Drive at the Ocean City Convention Center on February 8 and 9. Each pint of donated blood can save up to 3 lives.
"There are hundreds of people to thank for their role in making this week's 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 2010 drive had 784 registered donors and 691 pints of blood collected - a 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.
