Indiana Blood Center surpasses Sept. 11 blood donor goal by 1,545

In the five days after Sept. 11, 2001, more than 6,000 people donated blood to the Indiana Blood Center.

As the 10th anniversary of the tragedy approached, the center set a goal to find 3,650 donors in the first 11 days of September — one person for every day since 9/11.

The center surpassed that goal by 1,545 donors as 5,195 people donated blood during the 9/11 Remembrance Drive, the center announced Tuesday.

“Ten years ago, Indiana Blood Center became a common outlet for communities around Indiana to actively respond to the tragedies happening on the East Coast,” said Byron Buhner, president and CEO of Indiana Blood Center, in a press release.

In order to reach the goal, the nine Indiana Blood Center donor centers extended their hours, and 13 corporate partners sponsored their own drives.

The corporate partners included businesses such as Amtrak, Pepsico and CVS.

The donated blood will now join the more than 550 units the center delivers to hospitals around the state each day.

The center is the largest independent blood center in the state and one of the 20 largest in the country.

The Indiana Blood Center distributes more than 150,000 blood components a year.

“I could not be more proud for this organization to again be an outlet for goodwill, allowing Hoosiers to commemorate the tragedy and honor our American heroes from then and now,” Buhner said.

— Jake New