(l-r) Cassandra Imrie, Alec Burkin and WMDA Project Researcher Monique Joris
Gift of Life was selected among 97 participating registries from 57 countries to present at the WMDA International Donor Registry Conference in Singapore on June 2, 2016. The organization was awarded the opportunity to speak after winning the grand prize for the inaugural World Marrow Donor Day (WMDD).
WMDD was founded in 2015 to recognize the lifesaving gift that bone marrow and peripheral stem cell donors offer to their recipients. The holiday was marked around the world on September 19, 2015 with marrow donor drives, fundraisers and events where donors and their recipients met in person for the first time.
To celebrate WMDD, Gift of Life ran bone marrow donor recruitment drives in all 50 United States through the innovative Campus Ambassador Program (CAP), which works with college students to set up drives on their campuses. The ‘50 States One Mission’ campaign was an astonishing success. Gift of Life added 1,300 high availability donors to the registry, and throughout the week of the drive created 750,000 impressions via our social media platforms.
“It was a great honor to receive the grand prize for the World Marrow Donor Day celebration contest,” said Gift of Life CEO and founder Jay Feinberg. “Because of the dedication of our incredible student ambassadors and those who have joined the registry, we can provide hope to hundreds of patients in need.”
Accepting the award on behalf of the organization were Project Manager, Alec Burkin and Campus Ambassador at the University of Florida, Cassandra Imrie.
“This year Gift of Life marked its 25th anniversary, and to celebrate, the organization adopted a bold new mission, a new call to action, a plea to society to reach everyone, whether that’s getting them involved, getting them swabbed, or getting them cured,” explained Burkin. “This boldness was evident on World Marrow Donor Day, when the objective was to raise awareness among the public about being a bone marrow or stem cell donor, and the impact of transplantation on cancer patients’ lives.”
Imrie was one of 100 participants in the CAP initiative. She was chosen to represent Gift of Life at the Conference because of the success she had on her campus. Imrie’s team of volunteers swabbed 2,236 students on campus and fundraised nearly $3,000. To date, three matches between donors and recipients have resulted from the UF drives.
Imrie became involved with Gift of Life due to her personal connection with blood cancer. “A few weeks after I left home to attend the University of Florida, I received a life-changing phone call that my mother had been diagnosed with leukemia,” said Imrie. “We found my mother’s donor match through Gift of Life.”
Imrie’s family was able to meet her mother’s donor at the Gift of Life Annual Gala in 2015, and shortly afterwards, she heard about CAP. “I knew that was the perfect way for me to get involved on campus, and give back to the organization that gave my family so much.”
In 2016, World Marrow Donor Day will be celebrated on Saturday, September 17 and Gift of Life will be holding donor drives worldwide. To participate with us on World Marrow Donor Day – or at any time during the year – visit www.giftoflife.org.
College students who would like to join the Campus Ambassador Program may learn more here. CAP participants help their communities and gain entrepreneurial, leadership, networking and organizational skills.