Anyone can host / sponsor a bone marrow drive!
Anyone can host / sponsor a marrow drive! Businesses, Churches, Community Base Centers, Sororities, Fraternities, Individuals, Families, Family Reunions, and Organizations? They are all welcomed to join the National Registry!
Who do I contact if I want to host / sponsor a bone marrow drive?
If you would like to host / sponsor a marrow drive, please contact a Donor Drive Specialist at the Greek Gray Leukemia Foundation.
Where can a bone marrow drive be held?
A marrow drive can be held anywhere at almost anytime! Marrow drives can go from three (3) hours to six (6) hours or more if necessary. When speaking with a Donor Drive Specialist, please provide proposed marrow drive dates, a location in the community (make sure to have proper restroom facilities and fire exits), time and type of event.
• Typically 4 to 6 tables with chairs is needed to setup.
Promoting a bone marrow drive?
Develop a message for the drive. Use flyers, posters, brochures and local media to promote the marrow drive. Most of your promotion efforts should happen two (2) weeks prior to the drive. This way its fresh in people's minds. The response from the public to your drive will depend on how much you and your team of volunteers put into promoting. It is best to use your network of friends, associates and family members to help spread the word. The more people involved the better your turnout.
Volunteers?
Depending on what type of turnout you are expecting shoot for a minimum of 4-5 volunteers. It would be important to have a Donor Drive Specialist spend about an hour with the volunteers prior to the start of the marrow drive to go over where their help is needed. The volunteers primary function is to direct people through the process and answer questions related to filling out the consent forms, etc. Technical questions will be handled by the Specialist. Reference material will be made available to the volunteers to use to talk about the program.
AT THE BOTTOM OF ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS PLEASE ADD THE FOLLOWING:
To qualify as a marrow donor you must be between the ages of 18-60, in general good health, have no personal history of cancer, heart disease, lung or respiratory illness, diabetes, serious back conditions or injuries, or history of high risk behaviors. To be tested only requires a small blood sample.
*The fee is waived for Minorities and people of mix races. There is a $65 tax deductible tissue typing charge for Caucasian donors. What happens at a bone marrow drive?
The object of a marrow drive is to test people's tissue, so they can be listed on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. The process takes about 20 minutes per donor and is virtually painless. Each person is asked to fill out a medical history questionnaire. If they meet the necessary qualifications, a consent form is signed and a small blood sample is taken from the arm. It's then sent to a laboratory and the bone marrow type is entered into the National Registry.
• It may be a good idea during the drive to offer refreshments.
What are the chances of finding a match?
The odds vary widely. During a preliminary search of the registry a large percentage of patients do identify a "potential" match. However, not all of the patients who identify a "potential" match at the preliminary search will go into transplant. To insure an identical match final HLA compatibility testing with the patient is necessary. |
