The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (BHC) recruitment group has been a staunch supporter of Gift of Life’s mission since 2013. The group, which consists of more than 20 volunteers, has proven itself a dedicated advocate for the organization. Under the leadership of Amy Sponseller and Phyllis Lederman, they have swabbed more than 400 people and have had three matches. Amy founded the group and was inspired to do so after working at Camp Sunrise, a summer camp in Maryland for pediatric cancer patients and survivors. She has also coordinated drives at two other Maryland summer camps, Camp Airy and Camp Louise.

 

One of the group’s most recent recruitment drives was held on February 13 at the B’nai Birth Youth Organization (BBYO) International Convention held in Baltimore. BBYO is a social group for Jewish teens all over the world, ranging from eighth graders to high school seniors. This conference was their largest of the year, with more than1,000 youth in attendance. Gift of Life was invited to table at the event, so Project Manager Nick Hudson immediately reached out to Amy and BHC for assistance.

 

Eight volunteers helped out at the drive and stayed until 1:00 a.m.  Not only did they swab potential donors, but they also assisted with educating eligible students, who were 18 years old and in good health, about the registry. “The Baltimore crew took the initiative to have their own Gift of Life t-shirts made up as well as a custom banner,” said Nick. “They had an infrastructure of their own, making it really easy to work with them and, ultimately, making this drive a success.”

 

By the end of the night, they were able to swab 66 people!