Two labs collect over 360 total units of blood to save lives
In a spirited and community-focused competition, Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories went head-to-head last month to collect the most blood donations in honor of World Blood Day. Following Los Alamos’ narrow victory last year, where they edged out Sandia by a single unit of blood, the labs were eager to compete again. This year, Sandia collected 183 units of blood, and Los Alamos collected 180 units.
Each lab embraced the challenge with a healthy competitiveness and strong sense of collaboration, demonstrating a remarkable team effort. Sandia and Los Alamos employees rallied together, registering a total of 170 new donors over two days. In total, 340 donors participated, 95 more donors than last year. From those donors, 363 units of blood were collected, 72 more than last year. This amount of blood has the potential to impact the lives of nearly 900 hospital patients, a feat that would not have been possible without the commitment to service by both labs.
“Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratory donors stepped up to this year’s challenge with renewed energy and vigor, growing participation and providing a tremendous amount of life-saving blood to our communities. Vitalant greatly appreciates the overwhelming and ongoing support of our mission of saving lives through the gift of blood donation,” Heidi Chase and Drew Sharpless, Vitalant account managers for Los Alamos and Sandia, wrote in a statement. “Ultimately, the real winners are the hospital patients in New Mexico who will benefit from their generous gift.”
The friendly rivalry between the two labs both fostered a sense of community and teamwork, and significantly boosted blood donation awareness and participation. The labs are already looking forward to next year’s competition, with plans to further increase donor turnout and continue their life-saving contributions to the community.
Although the blood drive competition occurs only in June, Sandia hosts blood drives twice a month, providing every employee with the opportunity to donate and make a life-saving impact. Upcoming blood drive dates are announced in the Sandia Daily News.
