The Kevin Coffey Blood Drive was on Friday at St. Thomas More Church, collecting 252 pints of blood. This was the 9th drive held in Kevin’s memory, a 2009 Manhattan High School drive who died in a bus crash in 2010.
American Red Cross Blood Drive Coordinator Kristi Ingalls said 168 people came to donate on Thursday, November 15, beating their goal by 4. On Friday at noon, they were well on their way to exceeding that day’s goal of 106 donations.
Maxine Coffey said the drive is a way to keep her son’s memory alive in the community.
Kevin’s father Ray echoed similar sentiments, adding that the drive gets great support from the community and that many donors come out year after year.
Kevin’s friend from Temple University, Christine Boegemann, traveled from Philadelphia to attend the drive in Manhattan for the first time.
Dr. Steve Short, a friend of the Coffey family, was there to donate. He said he is glad that Maxine and Ray Coffey have taken the drive to the next level in honor of their son Kevin.
Maxine said they have also been helping organize blood drives at Temple University, where Kevin was attending before his death.
American Red Cross Blood Drive Coordinator Kristi Ingalls said Friday they were well on their way to topping last year’s total. In fact, this year’s drive collected 252 pints of blood, which equates to saving potentially up to 756 lives.
Photos by Nick McNamara/KMAN News
