Boston breaks Rutland blood drive record; organizers vow to reclaim it

Organizers of Rutland’s annual Gift-of-Life Marathon congratulated the city of Boston today for beating its New England-record for a one-day blood drive ‘ and vowed to regain the record at the eighth annual event in December.
Boston, which held the record of 772 until Rutland collected 856 in 2008 and 1,024 in 2009, collected 1,177 pints Saturday at Fenway Park. Boston’s annual 9/11 blood drive is held to honor victims of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
‘Blood supplies have been low, and this will give us an enormous challenge as we plan the 2010 Gift-of-Life Marathon,’ said CVPS spokesman Steve Costello, one of the organizers of the annual Rutland event. ‘Game on! We won’t set our official goal until early November, but we already have our sights set on reclaiming the New England record.’
WJJR morning show personality Terry Jaye, who with co-host Nanci Gordon broadcasts the Gift-of-Life Marathon from end to end each year, said he was thrilled to hear Boston broke Rutland’s record.
‘You could fit Rutland’s population into Fenway Park two times over,’ Jaye said. ‘They should be able to outdo us, and I’m glad they broke the record. It will provide that much more incentive to return the record to its rightful place this winter.’
The 2010 GOLM, set for Dec. 21 at the Paramount Theatre, will be the eighth annual event, which is organized and sponsored by WJJR and CVPS in collaboration with the American Red Cross. It began by collecting 368 pints in 2003, and has grown steadily ever since.
Organizers realize the numbers are getting high, but said they remain convinced that the greater Rutland community will respond in force once again.
‘Rutland has a fighting spirit unlike any other community I know,’ said Terry. ‘Has Boston set a record we can’t beat? We won’t know until December 21st, but I’m putting my money on Rutland.’
‘We have a few new ideas and strategies that will allow the GOLM to continue to grow,’ Costello said. ‘We keep thinking we’re nearing a plateau, but the public keeps responding, so we keep raising the bar. The bottom line is that the blood supply is always very low around Christmas and New Years, so the GOLM plays an important part in raising awareness and ensuring an adequate supply around the holidays.’
For regular updates on this year’s Gift-of-Life Marathon, search for ‘Gift OfLife’ on Facebook.