Corning employees set record for blood donations
February 2009
Corning employees have some of the biggest hearts in the state of New York. That’s the word from the Red Cross New York-Penn region, which recently recognized Corning for collecting 2,555 pints of blood last year -- an all-time company record.
This performance earned Steuben County -- which is home to Corning’s corporate headquarters and offices and several manufacturing facilities -- the distinction of having the highest blood donor participation rate in the state of New York. In 2008, blood donations from Corning employees helped save or sustain the lives of almost 7,700 hospital patients in the New York-Penn region, according to the Red Cross. It also meant that, for the past two years, there have been no delays or cancelled surgeries at Steuben County hospitals due to a lack of blood.
Corning began hosting blood drives in 1996 to help the community blood banks. The first year, company blood drives brought in a little less than 400 units of blood. Over the next 11 years, as the number of new donors increased, so did the blood donations. Last year, more than 160 new donors helped contribute to the record setting donation of 2,555 units of blood.
The goal for 2009 is 2,145 units of blood and to recruit at least 140 new donors.
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