WAYNE, PA—The family of Carol Axelrod, in partnership with the American Red Cross, will host the sixth annual Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive on Tuesday, May 9 from 7 a.m.-7p.m. in the Radnor Township Municipal Building, 301 Iven Ave. in Wayne.
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All presenting donors will receive a gift bag, special refreshments and free entry into prize drawings. As a special addition to this year’s blood drive, the Cabot Farmers’ Gratitude Grille, a full-service traveling kitchen staffed by Cabot Creamery Co-operative chefs, will be on hand to prepare a complimentary healthy and delicious meal for blood donors and blood drive volunteers.
In addition, as part of an ongoing “Community CHAllenge” initiative, Axelrod’s family will make monetary donations to two local organizations—Radnor Fire Company and Radnor Memorial Library—for every unit of blood collected at the drive.
The Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive honors the memory of an extraordinary woman who became completely dependent on blood products while being treated for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. Because blood was available every time she needed a transfusion, she was able to celebrate her 60th birthday and see her only grandchild turn three years old before she passed away in July 2008. Later that year, her family began its efforts to honor her memory by encouraging others to donate lifesaving blood. The May 9 drive in Radnor marks the 20th blood drive overall held in her honor.
“We created this blood drive as a way of giving back to the blood donor community that made it possible for my mother to receive all of the blood transfusions she needed during her treatment for cancer,” said Axelrod’s daughter Michelle Scolnick. “We will always be grateful for the extraordinary gift that blood donors gave us. In holding our own blood drives, we hope to make it possible for other families to have more time with a loved one who needs a transfusion. We are committed to doing our part to ensure that blood products are always available for those who need them.”
Axelrod’s family is currently working toward a goal of collecting a total of 522 units of blood at its blood drives this year. This achievement will mean that, since holding the first drive in 2008, enough blood will have been collected to help as many as 10,000 patients. In addition to the May drive in Radnor, the family will hold blood drives in July in Lansdale and in October at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood.
“Every blood donation can save up to three lives and therefore represents the opportunity to make an enormous difference for someone else,” Scolnick said. “If we can encourage even one new donor to join us on May 9, we can give up to three families a truly incomparable gift.”
Donate Blood at the Sixth Annual Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive
Radnor Township Municipal Building, Radnorshire Room | 301 Iven Ave., Wayne, PA
Tuesday, May 9 | 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sponsor code: CHAMemorial
How to donate blood
A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a home or work computer prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit
redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
Volunteers needed
Another way to support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross is to become a volunteer transportation specialist and deliver lifesaving blood products to local area hospitals. Volunteer transportation specialists play a very important role in ensuring an ample blood supply for patients in need by transporting blood and blood products. For more information and to apply for a volunteer transportation specialist position, contact Nancy Tobin at 215-451-4229 or
nancy.tobin@redcross.org or visit
rdcrss.org/driver.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit
redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at
@RedCross.
