Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone recently joined friends, family, and colleagues of Scott Martella to announce a blood drive in his honor will take place on Wednesday, August 3rd at four locations across Suffolk County in partnership with the New York Blood Center. Scott was the former Communications Director for County Executive Bellone who was tragically killed in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway in 2016.
In addition to donating blood, the County Executive also announced a donation drive to collect school supplies in support of the annual Back to School Drive hosted by Long Island Coalition for the Homeless. The school supply drive will also be in Scott’s honor to benefit children in need on Long Island.
“Scott Martella was one of the most dedicated and talented public servants that I have had the pleasure of working with,” said Suffolk County Executive, Steve Bellone. “He touched the lives of countless individuals and this year’s blood drive will not only help address the current critical blood shortage, but will honor his passion for giving back and his legacy and commitment to serving others.”
“We’re grateful to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and the Martella family for partnering with us to encourage blood donations during this critical time and for choosing our organization to honor Scott’s memory,” said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Vice President at New York Blood Center. “We highly encourage all who are able to donate blood and give back to the community. One blood donation can save up to three lives.”
Scott, who was 29 at the time of his passing, was widely considered a rising star in New York State government and public service. He impacted thousands of lives across Long Island and the state through his work in public service. Before the age of 30, Scott had already begun to assemble a list of accomplishments that included being the youngest person to be elected to the Smithtown Board of Education.
The New York Blood Center encourages all who are able to sign up and donate blood today, especially during the summer months, when warmer weather and vacation plans make blood donation less of a priority. One blood donation has the ability to save up to three lives.
The blood drive will take place on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m at the following locations:
- Riverhead County Center, 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901
- DSS MacArthur Building, 3455 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
- Suffolk County Fire Academy, 103 East Avenue, Yaphank, NY 11980
- H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Hauppauge, NY 11788
It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.
To make an appointment at this blood drive, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit this link.
If you can’t make it and would still like to donate in honor of Scott at a New York Blood Center Location, please use the blood drive code 71573.
About New York Blood Center
Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center (NYBC) is a nonprofit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world. NYBC, along with its operating divisions Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 75 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD, VA), Missouri and Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its operating divisions also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services to over 500 hospitals nationally, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, which — among other milestones — developed a practical screening method for hepatitis B as well as a safe, effective and affordable vaccine, and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.