It's in you to give.
That's the motto of Canadian Blood Services and it appears Prince George people have taken that slogan to heart, reclaiming the Drive For Life challenge title we lost to Kelowna last year.
Over the course of the six-week challenge, from Sept. 6-Oct. 18, Prince George collected 901 blood donations at the Westwood Drive clinic, which represents 102 per cent of the donation target of 885.
The city brought in 78 new donors, slightly below the target of 94.
In Kelowna, which has a larger population than Prince George, the Okanagan city collected 1,268 donors, equivalent to 83 per cent of the donation target of 1,408. Of that total, 109 were new donors, 40 short of the target goal of 149.
"We're pleased we exceeded our goal this year for Prince George and that more than 2,000 blood donations were made overall during this year's competition," said Amy Erickson, a partnership specialist with Canadian Blood Services in Prince George.
"This annual blood drive helps encourage Canadians to become regular donors to meet our future blood needs. We do our best to turn new and current donors into lifelong donors and are grateful to our supporters in both cities for rolling up their sleeves to help hospital patients," she said.
As a result of losing the friendly challenge, Kelowna mayor Walter Gray will have to wear a Prince George Cougars WHL jersey to a Kelowna city council meeting to officially concede defeat.
Prince George has now won the Drive For Life challenge in four of the past six years, winning in 2007, 2008 , 2010, and 2012.
The Prince George Canadian Blood Services donor clinic at 2277 Westwood Drive is open to accept donations Wednesday and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and on every fourth Saturday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Donors should call 1-888-236-6283 to make an appointment to avoid delays on donation day. More information is available online at blood.ca.
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