Give Blood To Honor 9-11: NY Blood Center Makes Day Of Service Simple

RYE, NY — When the twin towers fell, a call went out for blood donations in a time of crisis and New Yorkers responded in an impressive way. Now, officials are calling on us to honor that commitment and the victims of the terror attack with a less urgent, but no less important blood emergency.

The New York Blood Center (NYBC) will be hosting a day of service to encourage New Yorkers to honor those who lost their lives on 9-11 by giving back to the community. New Yorkers are welcome to donate blood, volunteer at a blood drive and sign up to host a blood drive at locations across the region.

September 11th is a National Day of Service and Remembrance and it is an annual tradition for communities across New York to honor the victims of the 9-11 attacks through life-saving blood donations. Unfortunately, blood donations in the region have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels as fewer schools, businesses and organizations are hosting blood drives. Currently, the blood supply stands at a 4-day level, with type O- especially needed, according to NYBC officials.

“New Yorkers always show up for their neighbors, rallying around each other especially during times of tragedy,” New York Blood Center VP Andrea Cefarelli said. “This September, we are calling on all New Yorkers to honor those who lost their lives twenty-two years ago by helping to ensure there are life-saving blood donations available for those who need it most. In the spirit of giving back to the community, we encourage all eligible donors to sign up to donate blood today, one hour of your time can save up to three lives.”

The NYBC has 18 area donor centers and hosts numerous blood drives across the region. Blood donors can find their nearest donor center listed here. The NYBC will also host the blood drives on Monday, September 11, to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks:

• Huntington Hospital (270 Park Ave, Huntington) from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
• Hampton Bays Public Library (52 Ponquogue Ave, Hampton Bays) from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.
• Stony Brook University (100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook) from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.
• St. Sylvester Church (856 Targee St, Staten Island) from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m.
• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (7420 4th Ave, Brooklyn) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• One Brooklyn Health Brookdale (One Brookdale Plaza, Brooklyn) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• JCC Staten Island (1466 Manor Rd, Staten Island) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m
• St. John & St. Joachim (31 Willow St, Beacon) from 2:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.
• County of Westchester (Westchester County Center – 198 Central Ave, White Plains) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• Kean University (Miron Student Center – 1000 Morris Ave., Room 228, Union, NJ) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• Clark Volunteer Emergency Squad (875 Raritan Rd, Clark, NJ) from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.
• South Brunswick High School (750 Ridge Rd, Monmouth Junction, NJ) from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month. The FDA recently lifted eligibility restrictions for individuals who lived in Europe during certain periods of time.

To view current eligibility guidelines, visit the NYBC website or call 1-800-688-0900.

To make an appointment at a blood drive near you, call 1-800-933-2566 or visit the New York Blood Center website. If you can’t donate blood, you can still support NYBC’s mission by texting ‘NYBC’ to ‘20222’ to give $25.

About New York Blood Center

Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center (NYBC) is a nonprofit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world. NYBC, along with its operating divisions Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 75 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD, VA), Missouri and Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its operating divisions also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services to over 500 hospitals nationally, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, which — among other milestones — developed a practical screening method for hepatitis B as well as a safe, effective and affordable vaccine, and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.