America’s Blood Centers Presents Awards of Excellence

America’s Blood Centers (ABC), North America’s largest network of nonprofit, community blood centers, has announced the winners of its 10th annual Awards of Excellence. Individuals and organizations are honored for exceptional support of community blood drive programs and for raising awareness of the need for regular blood donations.

This year ABC presented 20 awards honoring the nation’s top organizations and individuals for their commitment to community blood programs. Eleven of the awards presented were for most productive or creative blood drives, including the Saturn Retailer’s Challenge. Blood drives are community blood centers’ largest source of blood donations, helping ensure an adequate blood supply for more than 4.5 million patients annually.

American Airlines was named Corporation of the Year. The world’s the largest airline is also one of the largest employers in North Texas. It has also been one of Carter BloodCare’s largest producing corporate blood drives since 1990. For 16 years, the Texas-based corporation has held four blood drives each year, consistently registering more than one hundred donors at each drive.

Rodney Ford, nominated by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, received the Larry Frederick Award, which honors an individual for his or her community leadership in raising awareness of the need for blood donations. Mr. Ford has participated in all six Five Points of Life bike rides, which raise awareness of the need for blood and marrow donations. He has ridden 15,000 miles in support of the cause.

Jack Dean Patterson was the recipient of the National Humanitarian Service Award, which recognizes an individual and/or corporation for their contribution to the community blood program by encouraging the spirit of volunteerism. Nominated by Dallas-based Carter BloodCare, Mr. Patterson, a 50 gallon donor, was the prime mover in influencing 892 Texas Masonic lodges to adopt the Masonic Gift of Life Program. Through the efforts of Mr. Patterson and the organization’s work, the goal is to pay the blood bill for all twenty- two Shriner’s hospitals in Texas and the United States.

ABC named Rosser L. Mainwaring, MD, nominated by Michigan Community Blood Centers, as the winner of the Thomas F. Zuck Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors an individual for a lifetime achievement of the application of clinical/medical and scientific research to improve methods of blood collection and safety/efficacy of products provided to patients. Since the 1950s, Dr. Mainwaring, a blood-banking pioneer, has helped to improve the industry through the co-development of standards that would be used for building accreditation and inspection programs. He also co-founded Michigan Community Blood Centers — then known as the Detroit Blood Service — in 1955.

ABC presented the Media of the Year Award to KHOU-TV, nominated by Houston’s Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. The award recognizes the overall support the media play in supporting community blood programs and helping community blood centers reach potential donors. The Foundation for America’s Blood Centers also presented its 2006 corporate and in-kind giving awards.

For a full list of ABC Awards of Excellence winners, go to here.

About America’s Blood Centers
Founded in 1962, America’s Blood Centers is North America’s largest network of community-based blood programs. Recognized by the U.S. Congress for its critical work in patient care and disaster preparedness and response, the federation of 77 blood centers together operates more than 600 collection sites in 45 U.S. states and Canada, providing half of the U.S. and all of the Canadian volunteer donor blood supply.

These blood centers serve an area with more than 180 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 4,200 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. ABC’s U.S. members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Canadian members are regulated by Health Canada.

For more information on ABC or how to set up a blood drive, please call toll-free at 1-888-USBLOOD or visit our Web site at http://www.americasblood.org/.

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