The San Diego Blood Bank reported that more than 2,500 people visited its recent 34th annual Chargers Blood Drive and more than 1,000 donors gave blood for local hospital patients. San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) was the presenting sponsor of Chargers Blood Drive XXXIV held at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center on Nov. 20. SDCCU has supported this event for the past 14 years. Other major sponsors included the Grossmont Healthcare District, the Honda Dealers of San Diego County, Darrell and Kathy Issa and the Issa Family Foundation, American Icon Autographs and the San Diego Business Journal.
Through Saturday, Dec. 1, blood donors giving at a San Diego Blood Bank donor center or bloodmobile will be awarded a free commemorative Chargers Blood Drive XXXIV long sleeve t-shirt while supplies last, sizes subject to availability.
As the community’s longest running and most successful life-saving event of the year, the Chargers Blood Drive is one of the largest single-day blood drives in the nation. The annual event features continuous entertainment, refreshments and an opportunity for autographs from Chargers players and Charger Girls cheerleaders. Over the past 33 years, the Chargers Blood Drive has collected more than 70,000 pints of blood. The Chargers Blood Drive has grown successively larger since its serendipitous founding in 1979 when then-Charger place-kicker Rolf Benirschke was suffering from a life-threatening medical disorder and the Chargers asked the Blood Bank to host the event. With the ever-popular Benirschke as the event’s focal point, it has grown year by year.
