New York Blood Center (NYBC) recognized the dedication of its Bronx and Hudson Valley blood drive chairpersons and volunteers during its annual Chairpersons and Volunteers Luncheon on Thursday, October 1 at the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown.
We were grateful to celebrate with Congressman George Latimer, New York State Senators Shelley B. Mayer and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, New York State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg, and Westchester County Legislators Anant Nambiar, Jewel Williams Johnson, and James Nolan, among others, as well as other local and state officials who joined us to recognize our incredible community partners.
The timing of this year’s event was particularly important. A recent nor’easter resulted in approximately 1,000 lost blood donations across New York and New Jersey, while September collections finished nearly 3,000 donations below regional need.
“We need you now more than ever,” said Jeannie Mascolino, NYBC Vice President of Operations. “You create the opportunity. You open the door. You make the ask. And blood donors do the rest.”
Mascolino thanked the chairpersons and volunteers for continuing to organize drives and recruit donors during both strong and challenging collection periods.
“Every drive matters, and every person who helps organize one is part of a chain that ends somewhere incredibly important — at the bedside of a patient who needs blood,” she said.
The event also marked the 30th anniversary of NYBC’s Little Doctors Program®, which was founded by Karen Brothers, a sixth-grade science teacher whose daughter had received platelet transfusions. Brothers brought blood education into her classroom and showed her students that, although they were too young to donate, they could still help save lives.
Over three decades, the program has introduced generations of students and families to blood donation, community service and the importance of helping others. NYBC recognized Brothers for her vision, compassion and longstanding commitment to the program.
The luncheon also featured the introduction of the Lauren Shields Memorial Award, established in partnership with the Shields family to recognize a blood drive sponsor with a personal connection to a blood recipient or recipient family.
Shields, who received numerous blood transfusions while awaiting a lifesaving heart transplant, became a longtime advocate for blood and organ donation and a member of the NYBC family. Her mother, Jeanne Shields, and members of the Shields family attended the event as NYBC honored Lauren’s legacy.
Three community partners received “You Mean the World to Us” recognition for their outstanding commitment to blood donation:
- Margaret Chapman of the Village of West Haverstraw, who celebrated her 25th blood drive this year and has built a strong tradition of personal outreach and appreciation for donors in her community.
- Rosellen Hardt of Wappingers Junior High School, who has supported blood drives since 1998 and has collected more than 2,300 donations while using the Little Doctors Program to teach generations of students about blood donation and community service.
NYBC also recognized its dedicated volunteers. In 2025, volunteers across Hudson Valley, Long Island and New York City contributed more than 26,000 hours of service, representing more than $1 million in volunteer value.
Matthew Wachsman was named Rookie of the Year, while Ranee Budhram received the first-ever David Schoen Memorial Award, named in memory of the longtime NYBC volunteer.
The luncheon also recognized organizations that were among the Bronx and Hudson Valley region’s top blood drive producers in 2025. The Archdiocese of New York’s Bronx and Hudson Valley churches led the group with 10,114 donations, followed by the United States Military Academy with 1,168 donations and Archdiocese of New York high schools with 1,151 donations.
The program closed with Lindsay Frusciante, whose daughter, Hadley, received at least 10 blood transfusions during a 13-month hospital stay while awaiting a kidney transplant. Hadley is now thriving, and the Frusciante family has spent the past two years hosting blood drives in their community in her honor.
“Without blood donations, Hadley may not have made it to her transplant day,” Frusciante told attendees.
Her story served as a powerful reminder of why the work of every chairperson and volunteer matters.
“You are the backbone of this work,” Yadira Navarro, Executive Director of Donor Recruitment and Strategic Partnerships, told the group during closing remarks. “You turn intent into action. You transform compassion into capacity.”
As NYBC continues to face an urgent need for blood donations, the organization encouraged attendees to keep recruiting donors, hosting blood drives and spreading the word about the lifesaving impact of their work.