The Commack - Kings Park Rotary Club hosted a blood drive  (organized by Rotarian Jules Rosenberg) at Kings Park High School.

Below are photos of two of the volunteer donors Kings Park resident Elizabeth Snead and Jack Hessel.    Millions of children each year, including newborns, suffer from serious illnesses, injuries or handicaps. Many of them who undergo lifesaving surgery and medical treatment rely on the generous gifts of blood donations from strangers to help save their lives.

 National Make a Difference to Children Month, recognized each year throughout the month of July, is a great opportunity for individuals to help make a difference in the lives of children in need through blood donation.

New York Blood Center (NYBC), serving more than 20 million people in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, encourages residents throughout the communities we serve to continue to schedule appointments for blood donation during the summer months to help maintain our blood supply. Our hospitals, and in turn, their young patients, count on the generous gifts of blood donations to help save their lives.

Every two seconds, someone needs blood. Summer marks one of the busiest times of the year for emergency rooms and trauma centers nationwide. But with schools closed for the summer and workers away on vacation, there are far fewer people available to donate blood.

Hospital use of blood products remains high during the summer season -- due to surgeries, emergencies and care of cancer patients. Type O-negative blood, in particular, is used in exchange transfusions for newborn babies and pregnant women, and for premature babies in intensive care units.

You can help our young patients in need by donating blood or organizing a blood drive within your community, house of worship, or place of work. People can donate one pint of blood every 56 days.

People with Rh-negative blood, including A-, B- and O-, comprise just 15% of the population, yet their blood can be safely transfused to the remaining 85%. People with O-negative blood are known as "universal donors" because their blood can be transfused into anyone. Type O-negative blood is found in just 6 percent of the population, but is used more often by patients with other blood types, especially in emergency rooms and trauma situations.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) and its regions thank every individual blood donor and the wide variety of organizations that sponsor blood drives throughout the summer months. If you cannot donate but still wish to participate in bringing lifesaving products to those in need, please consider volunteering at a local blood drive.

To donate blood, please call:
Toll Free: 1-800-933-2566
Visit: www.nybloodcenter.org