The New York Blood Center hosted the 7th Annual Queens High School Recognition Breakfast, which honored Queens high school students who recruited the most blood donations.
The event took place at St. John’s University on June 3, and featured presentations by Kevin Ryan, Associate Director of Community Relations at St. John’s; Harvey Schaffler, Executive Director of Long Island Blood Services, and videos compiled by students at Benjamin Cardozo, Robert F. Kennedy and Richmond Hill High Schools.
“I think it’s an outstanding effort. The drive by the kids is so wonderful. They’re basically the future. We’re reliant upon them to continue the blood supply,” said Leslie Gonzalez, Media Relations Specialist at the New York Blood Center.
Gonzalez added that it is important for high school students to get involved in recruiting blood donations because “it shows responsibility and it really does help to save so many lives.”
The “Heroglobin Award” was awarded to Benjamin Cardozo and Robert F. Kennedy High Schools. Cardozo students recruited 331 blood donors in May, while Robert F. Kennedy, a small school, surprisingly collected 275 blood donations altogether in the past seven months.
The combined effort of all the high school students has helped many regional cancer and trauma patients who need blood transfusions and platelet transfusions. It has also helped those with blood clotting disorders, anemic patients and premature babies.
In addition to the video presentations, the breakfast featured Radhika Sawh, a blood recipient who shared her personal story about living with thalassemia.
She is just one of the many patients who are currently benefitting from blood donations. Blood transfusions every two-to-three weeks have allowed her to continue living a productive life.
To donate blood or for information on how to organize a blood drive, visit www.nybloodcenter.org.
