Bob’s Discount Furniture and the American Red Cross teamed up with the New England Patriots on Saturday to host the eighth annual Bob’s High School Heroes blood drive and day of family fun at Gillette Stadium. 550 units of blood were collected which could help save up to 1,650 lives.
Cathy Poulin, Bob's Outreach Director supports Bob's President and Co-Founder Bob Kaufman while he donates blood. (Photo: Business Wire)
Nearly 1,000 people attended the event, which also included a kids’ Halloween costume contest, performances by high school cheerleaders and appearances by Patriots Legends Joe Andruzzi, Steve Nelson, Vernon Crawford, Jon Williams and Roland James. Those who came out to donate blood received free t-shirts, and all attendees could enter to win autographed Patriots memorabilia and game tickets, as well as furniture gift cards donated by Bob’s Discount Furniture.
The annual blood drive is held each year to celebrate the Bob’s Discount Furniture $250,000 High School Heroes Scholarship Program, which recognizes outstanding high school seniors in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey who have made exceptional contributions to their schools’ volunteer blood donor programs. Students who host at least two successful high school blood drives throughout the year qualify to win college scholarships worth up to $1,000. Donors at Gillette Stadium had the opportunity to have their blood donation applied to a high school of their choice as part of the scholarship program.
“For nearly 18 years we’ve had the honor of supporting the American Red Cross and its lifesaving services.” said Bob Kaufman, president emeritus and co-founder of Bob's Discount Furniture, who also donated blood at Saturday’s event. “We’re also thankful for the support of the New England Patriots’ organization and the community members who turn out each year to donate blood and participate in this worthwhile event.”
On average, the Red Cross must collect about 15,000 units of blood each day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients, children with blood disorders and others.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
About Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation
Through the Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and Bob’s Outreach program, Bob Kaufman, Cathy Poulin and all of Bob’s Discount Furniture employees support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with sponsorships and charitable contributions. For over 17 years Bobs Discount Furniture has partnered with the American Red Cross in New England and has through direct in-store blood drives raised over 21,000 productive units and over 8,000 units through a blood mobile donated in 2006. The foundation supports many other charities, including Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, National Conference for Community Justice, The Johan Santana Foundation, The Andrus Children Center and Connecticut Children's Medical Center. For more information about the foundation and Bob's Discount Furniture, visit http://bobscares.org.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141105005260/en/
Contacts:
Brandie Young, 510-599-2785
brandie.young@upwardagency.com
