Knights of Columbus hosts blood drive Saturday
By Mary ELlen Day, Special to the News
Some student could win money for college in a lottery connected to a blood drive Saturday.
The Knights of Columbus, in conjunction with the New Jersey Blood Services, will hold the drive from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the John Neumann Center (the Red Schoolhouse) across from Sacred Heart Church on Second Avenue.
A $250 scholarship will be awarded if the Knights of Columbus No. 6573 gets 30 to 49 pints donated. If 50 pints or more are donated, the amount goes to $500.
Donors will name a student on a piece of paper, and slips will be drawn to determine the winner. The student must be in college or at least a junior in high school. You can donate and name your son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandson or granddaughter. There is no limit as the how many times you can donate and name a student.
Knights of Columbus member Anthony Scarpantonio is chairing the event.
”I give blood for my job, and I work for a utility in New York,” he said. “They came up to me and said, ‘We are doing this, and do you want to do this in your own hometown?’ I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for the Knights of Columbus to help sponsor it as I don’t have a hall.”
He said the scholarship aspect appealed to him.
”I have been involved in donating blood my whole life,” he said. “That was my Eagle Scout project when I was a younger man. Now I have been donating as often as I can over the years.”
Everyone who shows up and can’t donate due to health reasons will receive a $10 coupon off a $30 order at Houlihan’s. Anyone who donates blood also gets their name into a raffle for two tickets to next year’s Super Bowl.
To donate blood, you can sign up online at tinyurl.com/SacredHeartBloodDrive or just walk in. Donors must be at least 16 years with parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds or more and bring a picture or signature ID. You must eat and drink before donating.
”Since I do a lot with the Knights, I wanted to bring more things in to help the Knights,” Mr. Scarpantonio said. “Everyone sees us with the cans, and I want to make sure that they keep seeing us doing things and giving back to the community.”