On Sunday, April 29th, students at  UCLA brought Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation to campus by not only organizing a recruitment drive, but also hosting a benefit concert to raise money for the mission to save lives. 

The Jewish Leadership at UCLA and the Office of Residential Life teamed up for The 2nd Annual Above the Noise benefit concert and chose Gift of Life as the beneficiary of the event.  The concert featured a performance from the Maccabeats and an appearance by Mayim Bialik, an alumna of UCLA. 

The Maccabeats and Bialik have been working together since December to raise awareness for Gift of Life.  Their partnership to save lives began with the Judy Greenberg z”l Miracle Match Campaign, launched in conjunction with the release of the Maccabeats’ hit song “Miracle” in December.  To date, the campaign has raised over $88,000 and found matches for ten patients who are in need of transplants. 

The Above the Noise benefit concert built on this success by bringing attention to Gift of Life’s mission on UCLA’s campus.  In addition to the Maccabeats and Bialik speaking about the importance of joining the registry, Gift of Life representative Ronnie also shared his experience as a peripheral blood stem cell donor. 

Bialik was moved after hearing Ronnie’s story.  She said, “[Ronnie] is wonderful, so touching and perfect.”  Yasi, a student at UCLA who helped organize the event agreed.  She stated that Ronnie’s story was so inspirational that she can only pray that one day, she too will become a donor herself.

Next week, the Maccabeats and Bialik will join supporters at Gift of Life’s 12th Annual Partners for Life Gala in New York City.  As the emcee of the evening, Bialik will recognize the Maccabeats and the success of the Make Some Miracles Campaign.  Together, they will honor transplant recipients and their lifesaving donors, while paying tribute to Gift of Life’s supporters who allow the organization to continue its work.