(New Brunswick, NJ) – Tackle Sickle Cell, Embrace Kids Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital will celebrate a successful decade of partnership by hosting the 12th Annual Tackle Sickle Cell community blood drive on Sunday, February 23 to address ongoing blood shortages and support individuals who are battling sickle cell disease.
The 12th Annual Tackle Sickle Cell Blood Drive takes place in RWJUH’s Arline and Henry Schwartzman Courtyard from 10 a.m-4 p.m. Members of the media are invited to attend.
To register, visit https://www.mccourtytwins.com/TackleSickleCell or call 732-235-8100.
All donors, 17 years and older must weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in good health. 16-year-old donors must provide written parental consent, weigh a minimum of 120 pounds and be in good health.
To obtain a consent form or for questions about medical eligibility, please e-mail DonorSupport@RWJUH.edu. Donors are reminded to bring a photo ID, eat a good meal and drink plenty of fluids before donation.
Twin brothers Jason and Devin McCourty were football standouts at Rutgers University before moving on to the NFL. Devin retired in 2023 after 13 seasons and now is an analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America. Jason retired in 2022 after 13 seasons and now hosts Good Morning Football on the NFL Network.
The McCourty Twins have generously supported the campaign and given their time to promote and attend the blood drives, visiting with donors, fans, patients while donating blood themselves.
Since the blood drive’s inception, 1,900 units of blood have been collected positively impacting the lives of as many as 2,800 patients. The blood drive has traditionally been held in February to address seasonal blood shortages and is also held as part of RWJUH’s Black History Month activities to raise awareness about the need for specific and unique blood type donations that can support diverse patient populations.
“As a Level I Trauma Center with advanced cardiovascular, transplant, orthopedic and neurosurgery programs and the flagship cancer hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute where 60 percent of the blood we transfuse supports pediatric and adult oncology patients, we are highly aware of the need to have an adequate supply of blood and blood products available at all times,” said RWJUH President Alan Lee. “Thanks to our donors and community partners like Embrace Kids and Tackle Sickle Cell, we are able to address this need and provide our clinicians with the critical resources they need to address serious, complex medical issues while giving our patients their best chance for a full recovery and a return to health.”
“Embrace Kids is proud to partner with Tackle Sickle Cell and RWJUH to raise awareness about this disease and encourage individuals to donate much-needed blood and blood products,” said Glenn Jenkins, Executive Director of the Embrace Kids Foundation. “The need for blood and platelets never ends. We are grateful for our community’s support at this drive each year, which has helped us make a positive impact on thousands of lives since Tackle Sickle Cell began 12 years ago.”
One in 500 African Americans and 1 in 1,400 Latinos are born with Sickle Cell Disease. It also affects people of Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Mediterranean descent.
All presenting donors receive a commemorative Tackle Sickle Cell t-shirt and refreshments courtesy of Jersey Mike’s.
Everyone who registers through the website and presents to donate will receive a $10 gift card to Hansel n’ Griddle (not transferable for cash).
About Embrace Kids Foundation
Embrace Kids Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, exists to help families whose children have cancer, sickle cell disease or other blood disorders. Each year, Embrace Kids provides over $1 million in services to children and families throughout the greater New Jersey area at absolutely no cost to these families. For more info, please visit www.EmbraceKids.org.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) New Brunswick, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 628-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2023-24 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s health. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
For information contact:
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital: Peter Haigney
Office: 732-937-8568; Cell: 908-227-9317
peter.haigney@rwjbh.org