With 228 people showing up to donate and 198 pints actually being collected, the 9th annual Athletes for Life Blood Drive was an unqualified success once again. The drive was held on Sunday, Dec. 27 at the Melville Marriott.

Giving the "gift of life" has become a Christmas week tradition for local recreational athletes, and this year was no different, as the Greater Long Island Running Club, the Massapequa Road Runners, Concerned Long Island Mountain Bikers (CLIMB), the Massapequa Park Bike Club, the Huntington Bike Club, the Northport Running Club, the Bohemia Track Club and the Long Island Wheelchair Athletic Club combined to get the job done.

The Gift of Life is never out of season. Contact Long Island Blood services at 752-7342 and make an appointment now!