(Host) Apparently, having the biggest blood drive in New England wasn’t good enough.
As VPR’s Nina Keck reports, Rutland wants its Gift of Life Marathon to be tops in the nation.
(Keck) At a news conference, locals cheered when Gift of Life organizer Steve Costello announced that Rutland was going after the national blood drive record, set last month in Manchester, New Hampshire.
(Costello) "The goal is 1,969 pints."
(Keck) That’s quite a jump from last year’s total of 14-hundred.
(Costello) "It took us about a month of really looking at the numbers, looking at staffing, looking at space, to come to the conclusion that we could take a shot at it. It’s a long shot. We have a lot of work to do, but I think it’s doable. We just have to have everything work just exactly right."
(Keck) 200 Red Cross workers and more than 100 volunteers will staff the December 20th event.
Besides the Paramount Theatre, three other downtown venues will also be used for donations.
Costello says considering what Vermonters accomplished after Tropical Storm Irene, it seemed like the right time to aim high.
For VPR News, I’m Nina Keck in Rutland.