High School Students Donated Blood in Record Numbers During 2007-08 School Year
PORTLAND – August 4, 2007 – Teenagers in Oregon and Southwest Washington donated blood in record numbers during the 2007-08 school year as participants in the “don8 bl%d” High School Blood Drive Challenge, sponsored by the American Red Cross, Cricket Wireless and Z100. This record attendance helped the American Red Cross achieve its goal for donations for the first time in more than five years. All told, students from nearly 100 high schools in Multnomah, Clark, Washington, Clackamas, Linn and Marion Counties donated 7,941 pints of blood, an 11.8-percent increase from the previous school year’s donations.
Students competed to see which school had the highest percentage of presenting donors (students who intended to donate, even if they were ultimately unable to do so). The students could monitor their school’s progress on Z100Portland.com. The winning schools in each size-based division were:
• North Salem High School (Salem)
• West Salem High School (Salem)
• Gladstone High School (Gladstone)
• Colton High School (Colton)
• Salem Academy (Salem)
• Skyview High School (Vancouver)
• Washougal High School (Washougal)
• Cam School (Battle Ground)
For winning their division, every student who arrived to donate blood or volunteered at the winning school will receive free admission to an exclusive concert sponsored by Z100. The concert will take place August 11 at the Roseland Theater and be headlined by hip-hop artist Shwayze. Known nationwide for his hit single “Buzzin’,” Shwayze is a headline act during the 2008 Vans Warped tour.
“We never imagined local high-school students would respond so enthusiastically to our challenge. At several blood drives, demand to donate blood was so high that we had to find alternate locations for students to make their donation,” said Sandy Parkin, Marketing Development Manager for the Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services of the American Red Cross. “Cricket and Z100 have been fantastic partners for this inaugural competition, and we’re eager to work with them again. Students have already been asking about next year’s blood-drive challenge.”
The “don8 bl%d” campaign encouraged students in 97 schools to donate blood. High school students 16 years old or older, who weighed at least 110 pounds and were in good health, were welcome to donate blood. Students must not have donated whole blood during the past 56 days. They were required to have a signed American Red Cross parental consent form.
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