Pocono Raceway and the American Red Cross invite blood donors to attend the 13th Annual Pocono Raceway Blood Drive and Ride for the Red on Thursday, July 5. Both events, along with two satellite blood drives, are being held to honor the memory of late Raceway employee, Ryan Yanoshak.
The Pocono Raceway Blood Drive will take place at the Raceway, located at 1234 Long Pond Road, Long Pond, Pennsylvania, from 12-7 p.m. on Thursday, July 5. Appointments to donate blood can be made by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting redcrossblood.org and using sponsor code POCONO.
In addition to giving blood, attendees are invited to “Ride for the Red.” A $10 per lap donation will enable participants to drive a lap, or laps, around Pocono Raceway using their own vehicles. Blood donors who plan to participate should do so before they donate. All proceeds will benefit Red Cross disaster relief efforts in the Pocono Mountains, which helps families prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, both big and small.
Two satellite blood drives are being held for those unable to attend the events at the Raceway. One will take place at the Saint Faustina Kowalska Parish Hall in Nanticoke, Pa., from 1-6 p.m. on July 3. The other is being at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in Scranton, Pa., from 12-5 p.m. on July 5.
This year’s blood drive is being held in memory of the late Ryan Yanoshak. Yanoshak, raised in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was Pocono Raceway’s Managing Director of Marketing Communications and had previously works as the Assistant Athletic Director and Special Assistant to the Executive Athletic Director at the Unites States Military Academy in West Point, New York. A beloved son, brother, friend and co-worker, Yanoshak passed away in December 2017 following a courageous battle with cancer.
“Our entire staff looks forward to hosting the blood drive each and every year,” said Pocono Raceway President, Ben May. “It is one of our favorite events and we truly enjoy working with the American Red Cross. We, along with the Yanoshak family, owe the Red Cross our sincerest gratitude as they wanted to tribute to Ryan this year. Ryan played a key role in planning and managing the last two blood drives here. We look forward to what will be an amazing day and hope many donors will join us as honor Ryan’s memory on July 5.”
Presenting donors at the Pocono Raceway Blood Drive will be placed into a random drawing for (4) Terrace Club tickets to the Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway, frontstage access to a pre-race concert and frontstage access to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver introductions on Sunday, July 29. Presenting donors at each of the Satellite Blood Drives will be entered in a random drawing to win one of two (4) packs of tickets to the Gander Outdoors 400. Prizes and gifts are not redeemable for cash.
Suburban Propane is a proud national sponsor of the American Red Cross Blood Services and is helping to increase awareness of the constant need for blood and platelet donations. Presenting donors at the Raceway can enjoy an on-site cookout and will get a $10 Visa gift card, courtesy of Suburban Propane, on July 5. Suburban Propane employees will also volunteer at the blood drive as part of one of the largest national volunteer commitments to Red Cross Blood Services from a corporate partner.
Blood drives at Pocono Raceway have collected approximately 3,000 pints of blood over the past 12 years.
This blood drive comes as the Red Cross is urging individuals to help ensure blood is never missing from hospital shelves by donating blood or platelets through the Missing Types campaign. The goal of Missing Types is to inspire new blood donors and those who haven’t given in a while to give this summer and become a regular blood donor for patients in need in the years to come. For the past four years, new Red Cross blood donors have declined by about 80,000 each year. More blood donors are needed now to fill the gaps.
How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
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