Telegram Saves Lives blood drive ends today
The eighth annual Telegram Saves Lives blood drive in support of the Canadian Blood Services ends today.
On Friday, the Wicklow Street blood centre in St. John’s was kept busy with donors who, after their donations, enjoyed a treat of pancakes courtesy of chef Jeremy Charles and Jeremy Bonia of Raymonds Restaurant and The Merchant Tavern in St. John’s.
Last year’s campaign saw 242 donors — 48 of them firsttimers — attend the Wicklow Street blood centre in St. John’s during the campaign, with about 210 units of blood collected. This year’s numbers will be announced after the campaign officially ends.
Gordon Skiffington, community development co-ordinator at Canadian Blood Services, said they hope to exceed the 200-unit mark again this year.
“It’s been a busy week,” he said Friday morning.
“The kickoff was last Friday, and the clinic opened on Saturday, and it’s been steady throughout the week. We are hoping to exceed 200 units at Wicklow Street in St. John’s this week. There were mobile clinics in Carbonear and Placentia that were extremely busy as well.
“This is the eighth annual Telegram Saves Lives, which usually happens every October. It’s great and we just came out of a long weekend when the need for blood increases.”
Over the first eight years, the annual Telegram Saves Lives initiative has helped collect more than 1,200 units of blood.