NORTH HALEDON, NJ - The lifesaving blood donations during a recent KidzKare blood drive at High Mountain Middle School earned the school’s library 43 new educational books for its shelves.

Kaity Purcia, an eighth grader at the middle school, coordinated the March 20th drive with Community Blood Services of Paramus. Fifty-two donors, 22 of them first-time donors, registered to donate at the drive

“I was so happy to see how successful the KidzKare blood drive was at my school, and very glad that I could not only help the patients in hospitals who need blood but also provide so many new books to my school’s library for all the students who will be there after I graduate this year,” Kaity said.

As a result of the very successful drive, Kaity was able to present 43 books to her school librarian, Mrs. Louise Nordyk.

KidzKare is an innovative new program at Community Blood Services of NJ/NY that encourages students, parents and teachers at elementary and middle schools throughout New Jersey to set up community blood drives at their schools to earn valuable books for their school libraries. One book is earned for every lifesaving blood donation collected to help patients in community hospitals. Each book is personalized and dedicated to the school’s library by the donor.

For more information about the KidzKare program, or to schedule a KidzKare drive for the upcoming 2009-2010 school year, please call Lisa Brosnan, KidzKare account manager at Community Blood Services, at 201-705-1651.