National Volunteer Blood Donor Month: Jackson Laboratory Staff Recognize Ongoing Importance of Gift of Life

Date: January 25, 2005

Bar Harbor, Maine - Giving blood is a regular event at the Maine-based Jackson Laboratory. At one of only a few workplaces in Maine that holds large blood drives, Jackson employees regularly give of their time - and their blood - to give life.

Pat Grant, a 27-year employee of the genetics research institute, has been a driving force behind Laboratory blood donation for more than 15 years, coordinating dozens of drives and collecting countless pints of blood for the New England Region of the American Red Cross.

"Sooner or later, virtually all of us will face a time of great vulnerability in which we'll need blood. That time is all too often unexpected," explained Pat, an Information Specialist in Mouse Genome Informatics. "I realized this 10 years ago when my son was in the first Gulf War in Iraq. There wasn't a lot I could do while he was there, but I knew blood drives were important to our servicemen and women. They're also important for our employees who may at any given time need the blood that our many donors give."

Pat coordinates two blood drives each year as well as an annual visit from the Red Cross Blood Mobile. The New England Region of the American Red Cross depends on The Jackson Laboratory's contributions to ensure that they collect at least 120 pints of blood each year. "Lab employees have saved many lives by giving blood - the greatest gift of all. Our blood donors are true heroes and the Lab should be very proud of them," said Pat.

Approximately 38,000 units of blood are required daily in the United States for patients in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities, and to help save the lives of accident victims.

With more than 1,300 employees and an FY05 operating budget of $130.1 million, the nonprofit, 75-year-old Jackson Laboratory is one of Maine's largest employers. Its research staff of more than 465 investigates the genetic basis of cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, glaucoma, diabetes, and many other human diseases and disorders. The Laboratory is also home of the Mouse Genome Database and many other publicly available information resources, and is also an international hub for scientific courses, conferences, training and education-including programs for Maine high school, college, and graduate students.

Contact(s): Jade Harmer, 207-288-6051, jade@jax.org

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Media Relations, Communications Office
The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609-1500
Phone: 207-288-6051
Fax: 207-288-6076
Email: news@jax.org