NEW YORK, July 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last night, New York Blood Center hosted the Angels in Waiting 3rd Annual Blood Drive, which consisted of four mobile blood drive buses lining the streets of 96th Street at Central Park West. 211 New Yorkers registered to donate lifesaving blood at the event, which ran from 5:00 pm through midnight. 165 pints of blood were collected throughout the evening, shattering last year's record of 121 pints. New York Blood Center has named the event "the largest mobile blood drive on record."
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The event was organized in honor of a friend and leader of the Upper West Side community, Joel Kirshner. Mr. Kirshner, who grew up in Bergenfield, NJ, was a kind person with a unique brand of generosity felt by all of those who knew him. When Joel passed away three years ago, two friends began the Angels in Waiting Annual Blood Drive to give back to the community in his memory.
Friends and family of Joel Kirshner, including his parents Florence and Nat Kirshner of Bergen County, NJ attended the event to register blood donors and thank those who donated their time and energy to saving a life in Joel's memory. Also in attendance was special guest, Council member Gale Brewer.
"This event was a truly outstanding success," said Robert Purvis, Executive Director and Vice President of New York Blood Services, as he stood along the sidewalk packed with registered blood donors. "The blood collected here tonight will go to save hundreds of lives in hospitals across New York and New Jersey."
Each day, New York Blood Center must collect 2,000 units of lifesaving blood to treat patients in hospitals across New York and New Jersey. 60% of the American population is eligible to donate blood, but only 5% give. Donating blood is a quick and simple way to help someone that is truly in need.
New York Blood Center (NYBC), one of the nation's largest non-profit, community-based blood centers, has been providing blood, transfusion products and services to patients in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut hospitals since 1964. NYBC is also home to the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute and the National Cord Blood Program at the Milstein National Cord Blood Center, the world's first and largest public cord blood bank. NYBC provides medical services and programs (Clinical, Transfusion and Hemophilia Services) through our medical professionals and transfusion medicine physicians. Information is available at http://www.nybloodcenter.org/.
Angels in Waiting (AIW) is a volunteer driven organization created to increase assistance to those in need by mobilizing individuals to help improve quality of life, one person at a time, by working with individuals to initiate and develop projects based on their personal sense of community and responsibility. For more information, please visit http://www.angelsinwaiting.org/.
Contact:
Kate Guerin
Ruder Finn, Inc.
(212) 593-6377
guerink@ruderfinn.com
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New York Blood Center
CONTACT: Kate Guerin, +1-212-593-6377, guerink@ruderfinn.com, for New
York Blood Center
Web site: http://www.nybloodcenter.org/
http://www.angelsinwaiting.org/
