December 2015 brought the first term of Gift of Life’s expanded Campus Ambassador Program to a close. It has been an incredible few months, kicking off with ambassadors (CAPs) attending a symposium held August 14-16 at the Marriott Hotel in Boca Raton, Florida. At the symposium, ambassadors attended trainings and breakout sessions and had the opportunity to witness a lifesaving donor meet his 11-year old bone marrow recipient!

 

After the symposium, CAPs geared up for their initial group campaign: World Marrow Donor Day. They sprang into action on September 19, running donor recruitment drives in every state on this first-ever global celebration of bone marrow registries. Gift of Life showcased the drives through social media and spread large-scale awareness of bone marrow/blood stem cell donation and the Campus Ambassador Program. Thanks to the CAPs’ efforts, the World Marrow Donor Association awarded Gift of Life with the first place prize for our contribution to the celebration!

 

The CAPs’ accomplishments didn’t stop there. Throughout the semester, they swabbed the cheeks of 23,000 potential donors across 500 drives. CAPs also raised over $40,000 to offset lab fees needed for the tissue-typing of donor kits. Since the program’s inception, there have already been five matches made with plenty more to come.

 

Gift of Life truly appreciates all the hard work of each and every CAP. Below are a few individuals we would like to highlight:

 

Kristin, a senior, has been a strong advocate for Gift of Life. She demonstrated great persistence when she reached out to ABC-TV in Tucson, AZ, managing to secure a block of time to appear on “The Morning Blend.” During this broadcast, Kristin spoke about the organization’s mission and demonstrated how simple it is to join the registry. As a result of this media exposure and her continued hard work, Kristin has managed to swab 750 of her peers! Once she graduates, Kristin plans to join the GOL team, going from intern to full-time employee! 

 

Jacqueline ran a robust campaign called “Movember Grow.” Since male donors are requested by transplant physicians three times as often as female donors, it is important to engage men in recruitment efforts. Jacqueline did just that, concentrating on one big event and planning well in advance of November. When it came time to set her plans in motion, she fundraised and reached out to both male and female students, targeting fraternities, the engineering school, and other organizations on her campus. She encouraged the men to grow out their facial hair in November and sign up to participate in a drive in early December where volunteers would help them shave and swab. Jacqueline’s efforts resulted in the swabbing of almost 250 potential donors! 

 

Alex recently contacted the Green Bay Packers football team and managed to secure a signed football from Packers legends! He has plans to auction it off and will be donating all funds raised to Gift of Life. In addition, he swabbed over 200 potential donors this past semester, including the men’s hockey team.

 

A big reason for the CAPs’ success is social media—it has provided various resources for them to exchange both ideas and information. Whether through Facebook forums or LinkedIn, CAPs have discovered pointers on where to host drives and also how to register as a student organization, effectively partner with other campus groups, and successfully recruit male donors for the registry. 

 

Gift of Life is very proud of all that CAPs have accomplished these past four months. We’re looking forward to seeing what greatness lies ahead for next semester!