Red Cross honors Carolina for hosting the country’s largest single-day blood drive during the COVID-19 pandemic

On Feb. 1, the American Red Cross recognized Carolina for hosting the largest single-day blood drive operation in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The June 2020 Carolina Blood Drive safely collected 808 units of blood, despite numerous challenges presented by the pandemic.

A group of masked and physically distanced blood drive committee members and American Red Cross representatives, including Garrett Reid, donor services executive for the Eastern North Carolina Region, gathered at the Old Well on Monday morning to present Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz with an award honoring the University’s accomplishment.

Jen DeNeal, the University’s associate director of ethics and policy and the chair of the Carolina Blood Drive planning committee, said that Carolina’s partnership with the Red Cross is an important one.

The Carolina Blood Drive, which started more than three decades ago in 1989, is one of the largest and longest-standing blood drives in the American Red Cross Eastern North Carolina region.

“The significance of this partnership is especially clear when you look at the numbers,” DeNeal said. “Carolina’s record-breaking summer blood drive during the COVID-19 pandemic is emblematic of a commitment that has, over the years, impacted more than 100,000 lives.”

Read the entire article in The Well. Story by Gaby Iori.

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