PAX Centurion - Winter 2016 - 2017

Page 14 • PAX CENTURION • Winter 2016-2017 617-989-BPPA (2772) Blood drive for Cintolo and Morris nets 328 pints! Thank you to all who participated! By BPPA/PAX Staff O n October 20 th , 2016, following the attempted murders of East BostonA-7 Officers Richie Cintolo and Matt Morris, the BPPA, BPDBS, and BPSOF co-sponsored a blood drive at the BPPAoffices on Freeport St. The Red Cross blood collection was a great success beyond anyone’s expectations. A reported total of 328 pints of blood and blood platelets was collected during the drive. As a barometer of success, a Red Cross worker stated that a “good day” at one of the Red Cross’ walk-in blood donor centers was 25-30 pints of blood. In one day, BPD officers, civilians and walk-ins from the general public donated over ten times the normal daily intake of the Red Cross’ own walk-in center. At a time when donated blood was in severe short supply (especially platelets), the Red Cross was ecstatic with the results. Workers at other blood-donation centers were quickly re-routed to the BPPAoffices, as their assistance was sorely needed. Red Cross administrative assistants worked feverishly to process the donors, some of whom waited over two hours to complete the paperwork needed to approve donation of their blood. Volunteers from the BPPA, BPSOF and BPDBS cooked and served hundreds of breakfasts and lunches for the donors who waited patiently in line and the Red Cross staff who worked well-beyond their normal shifts to complete the blood drive. An untold number of potential blood donors had to be turned away, either because they couldn’t wait for more than their normal lunch hour or break, or because a recent illness may have precluded donation that day. Freeport St. was mobbed with traffic, as the 60-spot parking lot at the BPPAwas quickly overwhelmed. Our friends at Yale Electric Supply across the street and nearby IBEW 103 graciously offered their parking lots to assist, and many of their employees also rolled up their sleeves. There are simply far too many individuals who volunteered their time and effort to begin to name, but certainly, the BPPA, BPSOF and BPDBS leadership and membership deserve kudos for organizing the blood donation in a very short time. The Red Cross “Angels of Mercy” should also be thanked, whether they processed paperwork or collected blood. As stated before, many of them rushed to the BPPA in their own cars from their regular assignments and stayed well past their normal work hours to accommodate all of the donors. But mostly, all thanks and credit should go to the hundreds of donors who waited in line for hours to give blood and purchased T-shirts or simply donated funds to assist Officers Richie Cintolo, Matt Morris and their families through a long and difficult convalescence. Due to the overwhelming success of this blood drive, future blood donation events are being planned and discussed, which will, hopefully, be as successful but less hectic and under better circumstances. We’ll keep you updated. Thanks again, everybody!