MANCHESTER, Connecticut — Join the Manchester Road Race (MRR) and American Red Cross for one of Connecticut's largest single-day blood donation efforts this November.
The 37th Annual Ray Crothers Blood Drive will be held from 8:30 a.m.. to 4:30 p.m. the day after the MRR, Nov. 24, for the event at Manchester High School.
All donors will receive an MRR t-shirt. Organizers said walk-in donations will be accepted however, appointments are encouraged and can be made by calling 1-800-733-2767 or online.
MRR officials began sponsoring the blood drive in 1986 and have held it annually on the day after the road race. Ray Crothers, the blood drive's namesake, was a popular MRR champion from Tolland. Crothers won the race in 1965 and competed in it for 43 years. He died from cancer in 2008.
Lance Morgan, a physician assistant and member of the MRR executive committee, said that since the drive began, 7,886 pints of blood have been donated. In 2022, 364 pints were donated which helped nearly 1,100 people in need of blood, plasma, and platelets.
“We are hoping to surpass last year’s numbers and to see the total number of units collected since 1986 exceed 8,000 pints, Morgan said. “We are extremely grateful to our generous donors and financial sponsors, and we’re urging everyone who possibly can to help save lives by giving blood on the day after Thanksgiving.”
The principal financial sponsor of the Ray Crothers Blood Drive is Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN), a network of hospitals, outpatient healthcare centers, and medical providers serving Eastern Connecticut residents. Additional support is being provided by Eastern Connecticut Pathology Consultants, Highland Park Market, and FOX61.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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