St. John's News
Vice President for Community Relations Honored with Heroglobin Award at Inaugural Meeting of University Blood Donation Services Council
October 08, 2008
At the first meeting of the newly formed St. John's University
Blood Donation Services Council on October 1, Joseph Sciame, Vice
President for Community Relations, was presented the Heroglobin
Award in appreciation of St. John’s successful blood collection in
the New York area. Mr. Sciame is the fourth recipient of the
award, the highest honor given by Long Island Blood Services, a
division of New York Blood Center, since its establishment.
“At St. John’s University, we provide an opportunity for
students to serve the poor of health in the tradition of St.
Vincent,” Sciame said. “As the blood drives are University-wide, it
is important to share the credit and the ideas between all our
campuses. It has become one of our main student-centered service
initiatives and this new council of participants will help us to
reach even higher goals.”
All University blood collection efforts were consolidated to one
office in 1999. The Blood Donation Services Council, with Sciame as
Chair, is comprised of representatives from the various University
departments which have been instrumental in the success of campus
blood drives on all four New York campuses, including student
representatives from Student Government, Inc. and Residence
Life.
Carolyn Cestaro, who represents New York Blood Center, expressed
her gratitude and pointed out that she has never had a problem
finding volunteers or donors at St. John’s.
“We are very proud of the St. John’s students for giving the
gift of life so consistently,” Cestaro said. “I see many
familiar faces at the blood drives, while we also welcoming new
donors at each drive. The donor population needs to be as diverse
as the population of New York itself and you have that at St.
John's.”
On the same day as the presentation, 67 pints of blood were
collected at a drive co-sponsored by the Medical Technology
Students Association, in Council Hall on the Queens campus.
Together with blood collected on the Staten Island, Manhattan and
Oakdale campuses, St. John’s has collected over 1,400 pints of
blood in 2008. Additional drives are scheduled at each campus
before the end of the calendar year.
For upcoming blood drive information, visit www.stjohns.edu/blooddrives or call
718-990-1941.