The Manchester Road Race Committee will sponsor its 36th annual “Ray Crothers Blood Drive” from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 25, 2022 at Manchester High School, 134 East Middle Turnpike in Manchester.
The event, which in recent years has become one of the state’s largest single day blood collection efforts, is being held in conjunction with the American Red Cross of Connecticut.
All donors will receive a Manchester Road Race tee shirt. Walk-in donations will be accepted. Appointments, which are encouraged, can be made by calling 1-800-733-2767, or online.
More information about the holiday blood drive, and a direct link to the Red Cross appointment website, can be found at www.manchesterroadrace.com.
Race officials began sponsoring the blood drive in 1986 and have held it annually since then on the day after the road race. The event is named after Crothers, a popular MRR champion from Tolland. Crothers won the race in 1965 and competed in it for 43 years. He died from cancer in 2008.
According to Lance Morgan, a physician’s assistant and member of the MRR Executive Committee who coordinates the blood drive, 7,522 pints of blood have been donated since the event began. Last year, 335 pints, which benefitted 1005 patients in need of blood, plasma and platelets, were collected.
“The Manchester Road Race is delighted to partner with the American Red Cross once again this year,” said Morgan. “We are urging everyone who possibly can to give blood on the day after Thanksgiving and help us to save lives.”
Financial support for the “Ray Crothers Blood Drive” is provided by ECHN, Eastern Connecticut Pathology Consultants and Highland Park Market.