Forty-Niner softball player Keri Palma was one of the 138 donors who participated in yesterday's blood drive. |
September 11th Memorial Blood Drive Draws 138 donors
Sept. 12, 2008
Charlotte, N.C. - On a day where Americans nationwide remembered the attacks on September 11th, 138 donors participated in a blood drive on the Charlotte campus that was deemed a “great success” and was hosted by the 49er student-athletes.
From those 138 donors, 136 pints of blood were donated, which according to statistics from the American Red Cross could help save as many as 408 lives.
Of the 138 donors who helped save a life, 17 were student-athletes with a dozen of those being from the 49er baseball team. With fall sports season being in full swing, it was difficult for those student-athletes to personally give, but 43 of them went the extra mile and recruited surrogate donors to contribute in their place.
There also were another 30 Charlotte student-athletes who participated by volunteering their time throughout the day to help with the event in various capacities.
”Our student-athletes did such a terrific job with this drive from marketing it on campus to recruiting donors to donating blood themselves. I’m proud of their efforts and I hope that this acts as the kickoff for another big year of community service efforts by 49er student-athletes,” said Mark Verburg, Assistant Director of the Athletic Academic Center and Advisor for LifeSkills.
This 49er blood drive may be in the history books, but there is always a growing need for blood supplies.
According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds blood is needed for a patient in an American hospital.
To find out about more opportunities to help save a life, visit the Red Cross website at www.givelife.org.
Charlotte’s community activities are also far from being over, October starts off with a bang for the Niners when on the third various athletic teams will take part in the Hearts and Hands Playground Build at Nevin Community Park and on the fourth when the Annual Stroll for Epilepsy takes to the track at the Belk Track and Field Facility.
