In July, Starlight partnered with Community Blood Center to host the first-ever Swope Park Community Blood Drive. We’re thrilled to share that the dedicated donors of Swope Park exceeded the goal set by blood drive organizers!
A total of 56 registered donors attended the drive, with 51 able to donate that day. Twenty-two were first-time donors, and 10 donors participated in the Alyx procedure, which separates and collects double the amount of red blood cells as a traditional donation and returns the remaining blood components to the donor.
A number of Starlight associates and interns rolled up their sleeves for the cause, in addition to anchors from our Swope Park neighbors at KMBC, representatives from Kansas City Community Gardens, KC Parks & Recreation and many more. Overall, 61 units of blood were collected—translating to 183 lives positively impacted by the Swope Park Community Blood Drive!
“During this very atypical summer at Starlight, we were able to use our venue to do something beneficial for the entire Kansas City community,” said Barb Schulte, Starlight’s vice president of community engagement. “We thank our many partners who helped to spread the word and recruit donors.”
While the need for blood has rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels, the blood supply is dangerously low. After the resounding success of this inaugural event, Starlight plans to host another blood drive this September. Stay tuned for more information.
