Last night, supporters of Gift of Life gathered at Yeshiva University’s Wilf Campus to raise awareness for bone marrow transplants and the registry.  Jamie Schneider, the secretary of the Torah Activities Council, along with Asher Lindenbaum spearheaded the silent auction, which included a performance by the Y-Studs, an a capella group. Asher is a member of Y-Studs.  In attendance were students, faculty, and a bone marrow recipient who is a Yeshiva University alumni. 
 
Throughout the month of February, the students from the Medical Ethics Society at YU ran bone marrow recruitment drives, recruiting more than 500 new donors to join the registry.  Last night, the students from the Torah Activities Council took their support to another level by raising money to help process the kits that were tested at their drives.  Each test kit costs $54, and Jamie and Asher hope that this auction will help defer the costs associated with processing new kits.  Additionally, Adiel Munk and Yoni Stern from the Medical Ethics Society were on hand to swab and recruit additional potential bone marrow donors.  
                                                                                                       
It was an inspiring evening, with Avi Karesh, a bone marrow recipient, taking the stage and speaking about his experience with Gift of Life.  His speech was followed by a performance from the Y-Studs, an on-campus a capella group.  Before the grand prizes were announced, Bill Begal, President of Gift of Life’s Board of Trustees, addressed the crowd. As Bill told the crowd of students of his long involvement with Gift of Life since the early 1990s, he also shared with them the incredible success Yeshiva University has had in testing students and how many matches have been found amongst their population.
 
"There was so much enthusiasm in the room. Between Avi's inspiring words, a crowd raising performance by the Y-Studs and great prizes, everyone shared in the success of the night. As a member of the Gift of Life's staff, I was honored to have these students support us in this way,” said Ruth Miller, recruitment coordinator for Gift of Life.
 
The Medical Ethics Society is also planning a panoply fundraiser in May to help pay for the cost of test kits. For more information on how to become involved in this event, please contact us at mfreund@giftoflife.org.