The Township of Nutley will once again host a blood drive to honor the memory of the late Anne Rotonda Thursday, June 8. Commissioner John V. Kelly and the Nutley Department of Public Affairs will partner with Vitalant Blood Services of New Jersey to conduct the drive.
The drive takes place at the Nutley Parks and Rec Building, 44 Park Ave., Room 300 from 1 to 6 p.m. Although walk-ins are accepted, appointments are suggested and will be taken before walk-ins. All safety precautions will be in place to ensure the health and well-being of all donors and technicians.
Residents are asked not to donate if they are sick or may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Masks are optional. Donors must be aged 16 to 76, weigh over 110 pounds and be in general good health.
Rotonda sadly lost her battle with cancer Aug. 21, 2021.
Years before that, she had been diagnosed with AML — Acute Myeloid Leukemia. At that time, the Board of Commissioners hosted their first blood drive in her honor. In 2017, she was re-diagnosed with the same disease and in September 2017, she received a bone marrow transplant.
Other guidelines:
- All Donors are required to wear a cloth based mask or face covering
- Bring a photo ID
- Eat a meal before donation.
- Drink plenty of water before and after
New Jersey is experiencing critically low donation numbers, especially during the COVID_19 pandemic. There is an urgent need for Type O-Negative, O-Positive & B-Negative blood types, but all types are welcome and needed.
Find answers at Vitalant.org to commonly asked questions about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it (novel coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV-2) in relation to blood donation and what Vitalant is doing to keep donors, blood drive coordinators, volunteers, staff and patients safe. For additional information, call the the Nutley Department of Public Affairs at (973) 284-4976.
To schedule an appointment, click Vitalant New Jersey – Donor Portal (cbsblood.org) or call (877) 258-4825.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.