Thank you! This year's GCTA/GCPTA annual blood drive was a grand success. I thank the members of our GCTA Health and Safety Committee and all of our regular donors who have been giving their life-saving blood for many years. Many of us remember when the GCTA/GCPTA Blood Drive Day was one of the most pleasant social events of the year. Teachers, parents, administrators, bus drivers, secretaries and custodial staff who rarely got together to share stories, enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and good food.

GCTA/GCPTA Blood Drive 2003 was very much like the olden days, as some of the children say. The most exciting and rewarding change over the years started last November when Garden City High School students decided that it was time for them to join in and donate a pint of their life-saving blood.

On Nov. 6, our Garden City High School young adults filled the high school gym, our blood drive center, with youthful exuberance, optimism and good cheer. It was a sight that I will long remember. I am very proud of our students.

This year, Long Island Blood Services collected 140 pints of blood! Garden City High School students donated most of the blood collected this year. It was truly a pleasure to see many of our former elementary school students step forward to do a good deed for their neighbors. On behalf of our GCTA/GCPTA Blood Drive Committee, I thank our students for their courage and generosity.

I was pleased to see many of our new K-12 faculty members, our staff, our reliable bus drivers and our administrators supporting our annual GCTA/GCPTA Pre-Thanksgiving Blood Drive. Most certainly the recipients of our donated whole blood are thankful that we took the time out of our very busy week to help them in their hour of need.

Finally, the remaining food, which was provided by Manor Delicatessen in Stewart Manor, was gratefully accepted by The Reverend and Mrs. Gaines at The Helping Hand Mission on Broadway in Huntington Station. All the food was distributed to the poor on Nov. 7.

A very special thank you to the Garden City PTA, our longtime partners, who make our GCTA/GCPTA annual blood drive possible. I look forward to our November 2004 GCTA/GCPTA Annual Blood Drive when we can all, once again, enjoy that warm and fuzzy feeling we experience by helping our neighbors who are in need.

Paul Kelly

Chairman, GCTA Health and Safety Committee

President, Blood Bank