March 23, 2009
St.
John’s University was honored recently with a declaration from
Borough President Helen Marshall, in recognition of the
University’s success in blood donations in Queens.
In a ceremony at Borough Hall earlier this month, Ms. Marshall
presented Joseph Sciame, St. John's University Vice President for
Community
Relations, and his staff with a Declaration of Honor, joined by
representatives of the New York Blood Center’s Long Island Blood
Services division. The declaration of honor proclaimed “St. John's
University Blood Drive Day” in recognition of more than 1,300 pints
of blood donated on St. Johns’ Queens Campus, more than any other
college or University in the borough. The final blood count totaled
1,774 pints University-wide in 2008 to make St. John’s the leading
blood donor university in New York City.
St. John's University sponsors blood drives on all of its New York
State campuses: Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan and Oakdale.
University blood collection efforts are spearheaded by Sciame and
Community Relations Associate Kevin Ryan, J.D., as co-chairs of the
University’s Blood Donation Committee.
Sciame, also a member of the NYBC Community Relations Advisory
Council, commented, “Recognitions thus far by the Borough
Presidents of both Queens and Staten Island continue to reinforce
the concept that St. John's is with the community -at -large in
extending the gift of life through blood donation. We are
appreciative of these recognitions, as they challenge us to greater
heights.”
“We are very proud of our employees’ and students’ ongoing
commitment to give blood and honored to have their generosity cited
by Borough President Marshall,” said Ryan. “At each drive, I am
amazed to see students and staff using their break time to give
blood, but that’s the St. John's culture and tradition we
espouse.”
St. John's responded to a dire blood shortage during the current
spring semester with several additional drives in Queens, including
its Annual Athletics Blood Drive on February 5th in the famed
Carnesecca Arena, home to Red Storm Athletics, and collected nearly
300 pints of life-saving blood thus far in 2009. The University
also received the NYBC Diamond Award in 2007 and 2008 and is on
pace to win another and save thousands more lives in 2009, thanks
to the generous giving of its students.
Upcoming
Queens Campus blood drives are scheduled for March 26th, April
20th (including bone marrow testing for all ethnic groups) and
April 30th.
For more information on St. John's University blood drives, call
the STJ Office of Community Relations at 718-990-1941.