May 19, 2017
St. John’s University received recognition from Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn, NY, and the New York Blood Center for making significant donations during the Diocese of Brooklyn’s 2016 Blood Drive Campaign.
St. John’s earned the “College with the Most Donations” Award with a total of 798 pints. A special reception for donors—including schools, individuals, parishes, and Knights of Columbus organizations throughout Brooklyn and Queens—was held at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, NY, on May 2, where Bishop DiMarzio addressed the faithful.
“The donation of blood is a sign of social consciousness because unless people are willing to give blood, the health of our communities will not be very well,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “Our social consciousness does come down to being generous to the point of being willing to give of ourselves.”
Organized by the University’s Office of Community Relations, St. John’s began contributing to the annual blood drive campaign in 2005, when 290 pints were donated. To reach the nearly 800 pints collected in 2016, several blood drives took place on a donation bus, various locations across campus, and at St. John’s School of Law.
The University—through Community Relations—participates in other efforts to help fight disease while supporting and promoting good health. For the past 15 years, thousands of St. John’s students and employees have participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Queens and on Staten Island, raising more than $15,000 annually. SJU students also contribute to bone marrow registration drives each year.
“As with St. Vincent de Paul’s compassion and zeal for service, this event allowed our students, staff, and administrators to truly give of their most important physical resource—blood—to save lives,” said Joseph Sciame, Vice President for Community Relations. “The University is honored to have the opportunity to work with the community to provide lifesaving resources.”
More than 8,000 blood donations were collected, with SJU contributing 10 percent of the total.
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