The inaugural Victory Project Blood Drive, held on Tuesday at Sporting Park in conjunction with the American Red Cross, made possible more than 100 donations from individuals across the metropolitan area. The seven-hour event took place inside the Boulevard Members Club and the donations from the blood drive will direclty benefit as many as 300 lives as result of the community's contributions.
Among those in attendance throughout the afternoon were Sporting Kansas City defender Chance Myers, midfielder Christian Duke and goalkeeper Eric Kronberg. Although Myers and Kronberg could not donate due to their international travel during last year’s CONCACAF Champion’s League, it didn’t stop the duo from having a good time at the drive and supporting Duke as he donated for just the second time in his life.
“I was a little hesitant at first just because I didn’t have the best experience the first time,” Duke said. “But obviously there are people out there who need it [blood] and I’m wanting to help.”
The American Red Cross, which helps supply blood to approximately 80 hospitals in the region, initiated plans for yesterday's blood drive through their interest in partnering with The Victory Project and Sporting KC.
“We recognized that both organizations involved have good relationships with the Kansas City community and knew that this would be a great event for the area,” said Dan Fox, Communications Director for the Red Cross.
In helping hospitals around the area, the Red Cross collects an average 12,000 pints a day in Kansas City alone and is setting a goal to reach 36,000 pints on average in the next three years.
“We hold two blood drives everyday and one on the weekends in Kansas City,” said Denise Crawford, a Donor Recruitment Representative. “It’s going to take a lot to reach this goal, but there are always opportunities to donate and serve.”
To learn more about The Victory Project, please visit VictoryKC.org or follow @victorykc on Twitter.
