Welcome to the December issue of Blood Drop.

In this Issue

	November's Heroes
	The Perfect Holiday Gift
	Feed Your Donors!

School Program Info

Don't forget about the Video Contest! Click here for more details.

It's not too late to schedule your school's blood drive, but dates are going quickly. Contact your blood drive coordinator or Lauren Bacon- lbacon@bbd.org to reserve your date!

Contact Information:
Lauren Bacon
School Program Coordinator
302-737-8405 ext. 796
schoolbloodprogram@bbd.org

November's Heroes

Nine high schools and two colleges hosted blood drives last month.  A total of 1,124 pints were collected! The University of Delaware participated in the seventh annual Have a Heart Blood Challenge, a competition with 11 other colleges and universities in the Colonial Athletic Association. It was the largest one-day drive of the year, with 604 blood donors! UD placed second to Drexel University. Click here to view blood drive results.  Click here to view blood drive photos.

Blood Drop Tip: You can email photos from your school's blood drive to Lauren Bacon- lbacon@bbd.org

Photo: First-time donor at Smyrna High School

The Perfect Holiday Gift

The perfect gift this holiday season won't fit in a box, doesn't need a bow, and is certainly going to get more use than an ugly sweater. What is it?  It's the gift of life, of course!!

Giving blood is the best way to spend an hour around the holidays. People are often busy travelling, visiting with family, or shopping to remember to donate blood. You can help by enouraging your friends, family and teachers to donate at one of our convenient locations. Remind them to fill out a Hero Card with your school's name on it, and your school will earn points towards you school's total donations.

Feed Your Donors!

If you are looking for a way to thank the blood donors at your school, feed them! Several high schools, including Pocomoke, Concord, Smyrna, and Rising Sun host pre-blood drive breakfasts. These breakfasts serve several purposes:

1. They help ensure that everyone eats a good meal before their donation.
2. They are a great incentive to encourage people to give blood.
3. They are a  fun way to thank your donors for signing up to save lives.

If you aren't able to host a breakfast, consider offering special food at your canteen. St. Mark's, Middletown, Christiana and AI duPont are a few of the high schools who have bagels and/or yummy baked goods at their canteens. You are not required to provide any food or beverages for your blood drive. The Blood Bank always provides cookies, crackers, pretzels, and drinks, but it's nice to offer something special, and your donors will certainly appreciate it!

Photo: Rising Sun High School student enjoying a delicious breakfast compliments of Student Council.