Neshanic's Boy Scout Troop 1776 Hosts 2024 Annual Blood Drive

NESHANIC, NJ — Boy Scout Troop 1776 of Neshanic had a busy and exciting fall 2024, filled with many trips and service activities.

One of their events was the 18th Annual Blood Drive, which they held in memory of Silvano G. Zobele, a former scout parent who died 18 years ago due to leukemia. This year the event was moved from summer to fall, on Nov. 23.

The Blood Drive was run by the Troop in collaboration with the New York Blood Center (NYBC), which also supports New Jersey Blood Services.

The drive took place at the Neshanic Reformed Church on Amwell Road in Hillsborough, a generous sponsor of the troop.

What made this blood drive even more special was how the whole community came together to support it. Donors from local towns such as Hillsborough, Neshanic Station, Branchburg, and Flemington showed up to donate.

To get the word out, the troop put up posters at the local stores, malls, and ran social media campaigns to reach as many people as possible. The NYBC even provided a fun, giant blood drop costume for the scouts to wear outside the church, drawing in more people to donate blood.

This Blood Drive was run and coordinated by Tenderfoot Scout, Virat Kottala.

In Virat Kottala’s own words about the drive: "I was excited when I heard about the Blood Drive. I knew it would save lives and make a difference in our community. Last year, my brother, Venkat Kottala, helped organize the drive, and I was motivated to run the drive this year. This was my first time running an event for the troop and I was worried. I received help from the adult leaders in the troop, scout volunteers, and church members, who made it possible for us to have a successful Blood Drive. After the drive, I felt proud and happy that the drive was successful because we had collected a record number of units in the troop's history."

During the drive, 52 units of blood were collected from 43 amazing donors which could save 156 lives! The scouts were all excited with the fantastic turnout, and the Blood Center was equally thrilled with the success. Everyone is already buzzing with excitement and can’t wait to make next year’s event even bigger and better!

— Submitted By: Virat Kottala & Naveen Kottala