25th Annual Dover-New Phila Blood Battle attracts record-level donations
DOVER (WJER) (Oct. 19, 2022) – Residents in New Philadelphia and Dover are again using their rivalry as a positive for the good of the community.
The Tuscarawas County YMCA was the site of the 25th Annual Dover-New Phila Blood Battle today to see which town can give the most blood.
The collection is put on by the nonprofit Vitalant organization. Vitalant Account Manager Katy Neff says the donors kept things cordial. “The atmosphere is good. It’s friendly, everybody’s joking around, but everybody definitely has an opinion of which school they’re donating for,” Neff said.
Brittany Mann of Dover says she usually gives blood on a regular basis, but this occasion is special. “It doesn’t really matter who wins for it. But my kids go to Dover, so, I like to support the school,” Mann said.
Jay Yanders of New Philadelphia was another donor and said he likes what it accomplishes. “I’ve done it for several years now and it’s just another way to be involved with the game,” Yanders said.
Tiffany Heil was there to donate from Gnadenhutten. She supports the Quakers because of her nephews. “I think it’s a good idea to get people out here and to help others,” Heil said about the Blood Battle.
Neff says they had 70 people register to donate in advance, in addition to the walk-ins, which is quite possibly a record. “We’ve never had so many online signups. It’s usually just a ton of walk-ins,” said Neff.
Dover leads the all-time Blood Battle series with 14 wins. New Philadelphia has nine wins and there is one tie. The winner of the 2022 competition will be revealed at Friday’s football game.