Plaza College Gets Involved and Makes a Difference With Its Summer Blood Drive!

By Dean Lin Loffert

• Dean Lin Loffert led Plaza College’s Blood Drive to great success for the second year in a row.

On Thursday, July 21, 2011, Plaza College’s students, administration, and staff successfully teamed-up with the Jackson Heights community and the Long Island branch of the New York Blood Center to present their second annual “Get Involved and Make a Difference!” Blood Drive.

Potential blood donors boldly faced the scorching heat of the triple-digit temperatures that day to keep Bruson Hall busily humming, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with the presence of 118 registered blood donors yielding a total of 85 units of blood donated.  This was 6 pints more than our drive last year which yielded 79 pints for donation. Every donor was treated to a “replenishment” snack or meal and a raffle ticket to win a pair of Mets tickets to attend a scheduled game at Citifield Stadium on Tuesday, August 9.  The lucky winners of the drawing were:  Mandeep Kaur, Edward Gomez, Cynthia Montenegro, Xiomara Rucal, and Anthony Vass. Thanks for your participation! We hope the game was fun!

 The drive was sponsored by the Plaza College Ambassador Club under the leadership of Dean Marie Dolla, Mrs. Lin Loffert, Mr. Jonathan Howle, Ms. Melissa Tortora, Professor Christopher Hartley, Professor Dina Cirigliano, Dr. Darryl Anderson, Mrs. Lynn McManus, and Mr. Joseph Giansante.  Ambassador Club committee members really pitched in and did a great job!  Many thanks go out to: Sharmin Ullah, Angela Rodriguez, Tashi Lhamo, Maria M. Martinez, Juleen Jackson, Padmini Persaud, Maria E. Martinez, Elka Rodriguez, Andrea Noonan, Randi Montgomery, Iulia Vlase, Tereesa Ifill, Solomon Young, Sandro Balzora Jr., Elsa Nan, Joseph Gandolfo, Yamil Burgos, Jasvir Dhamrhat, and Roberto Del Valle for the wonderful job they did working the event in various capacities during the day.

As pointed out by Joe Ferrara, our Account Manager from the New York Blood Center, there was a definite blood shortage this summer. Sophisticated medical facilities, transplant programs, area hospitals, and cancer treatment centers are being greatly affected by the shortage.  When there is not enough blood, patients wait for hours or even days for the blood they need—delaying their recovery from such things as surgery, chemotherapy, burn treatments, and even patients who have been on an organ transplant list for months or years who finally get an opportunity for an organ, will lose that opportunity if there is not enough blood.  Plaza College’s missions include the need to serve the community-at–large and to instill the goal of lifelong learning in its students.  The blood drive did this.  It equally informed our medical and business students of the opportunities, both personal and professional, that await them upon the completion of their programs.  Medical majors interested in phlebotomy were treated to tours of the NYBC Long Island City laboratory to learn about the blood separation and distribution process, while all programs yielded 53 first-time blood donors, who learned of their individual blood types and were given their NYBC blood donor cards for future donation opportunities.

A blood donor is a very special kind of volunteer.  One blood donation can save up to three patients’ lives.  A special thank you goes out to all of our donors, who selflessly gave of their time, effort, and spirit of generosity—people who got directly involved in a great cause to make a difference and save many lives.  They include:

Jechibea Adu-Peasah Ronell Almorales Mary Artiles Bishnu S Baiju Ruqquyah C Bland Rosemara Carino Alexander Castrillon Walter J Cazar Shiday Cockrell David F Colucci Silvia Feljo Benicia Fernandez Daniel Fernandez Jillian M Fordunski Brandie Fortyz Antonette M Francois Melissa Gacarza Stephanie M Gallardo Daniel A Gil Edward H Gomez Victoria N Gonzalez

Zuleyka I Grullon Yohanna M Guzman Susan E Harris Elizabeth M Hicks Shirley J Holloway Marlen M Hunter-Montilla Tereesa L Ifill Sheikh A Islam Andy Romingo Jimenez Xavier E Joniaux Neresa M Joseph Lin Lin Kang Viki Karamalis Mandeep Kaur Sandeep Kaur Cynthia L Leggett Salvador Leon Ihanisha S Lewis David W Loffert Linda B Loffert

Carlos A Lopez Gina M Loza Lisa M Luddy Gerard R Maghella Xiomara M Mendez Cynthia C Montenegro Christopher J Noria Barbara Nosel Vanessa Oquendo Jeremy L Ortiz Diana Padgett Felix M Paredes Kristy Pereira Jennifer Perez Bershley Rivera Shanti M Rivera Angela Rodriguez Elizabeth Rodriguez Lauris Rodriguez Oli M Rodriguez

Xiomara Rucal Janaya N Sam Jacqueline Sanchez Peter M Serrano Gintaute G Sipaviciute Amanda Sookchan Shanshea C Spence Micheline Sultana Sabera Sultana Chini Sun Siham Toloa Paola J Toribio Melissa A Tortora Shaniqua M Vanderhurst Anthony Vass Yasiry Velasquez Marsha Victorin Iulia E Vlase Kenya L Weathersby David S Wright.

Thanks to everyone at Plaza College!  Your hard work, diligence, and dedication definitely paid off!  Let’s keep increasing that blood donation goal every year, for many years to come!