Delaware and Maryland students set a new record for donations to the Blood Bank of Delmarva this year.
Seventy-fix schools and colleges held 119 blood drives, more than any previous school year and up 3.5 percent from last year. The drives yielded 6,909 blood donations.
School blood drives contribute 8 percent of all blood donated on the Delmarva Peninsula.
The school blood drive program began in 1984 with two participating schools and has become critical to the blood bank. Less than 7 percent of blood bank members are under 35 and the program is a way to expose young, first-time donors to the blood bank’s mission.
Students, their families and friends can continue to give blood and get credit for their school through Aug. 31.
