The Colorado community came out in force to help celebrate and donate blood with Bonfils Blood Center and the Denver Broncos at Drive for Life 15.
Susie Wargin tested the "blood giving" knowledge of a few Broncos players. To see their responses, watch the story in the video player above.
There were 1,480 lifesaving units collected through pre-event donations, donations collected at the seven-hour drive, at four fixed-site metro area donor centers and mobile drives on Tuesday, Oct. 2. In addition, 330 first-time donors attended the event. Bonfils' Colorado Marrow Donor Program also successfully registered 78 potential marrow donors to the Be the Match Registry to help patients beat blood cancers.
"Each year our community continues to come to this event and ensure its success. We couldn't provide this life-saving service without the nearly 2,000 donors and their readiness to step up and donate when blood is needed," says Jessica Maitland, vice president of marketing and community operations for Bonfils Blood Center. "There were nearly 30 Denver Broncos players and more than 15 alumni players and cheerleaders on hand to meet the fans who came out to celebrate and donate with us this year. We are grateful for the community's ongoing support of our premiere event and look forward to Drive for Life XVI."
For nearly 70 years, Bonfils Blood Center has successfully managed the community blood supply and played an integral role in Colorado's health care system. Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to nearly 200 healthcare facilities and needs to collect more than 3,000 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about Bonfils Blood Center please call 303-366-2000 or visit www.bonfils.org.
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