DoSomething.org and Be The Match 'Give a Spit about Cancer' on College Campuses across the U.S.
Second Annual Bone Marrow Donor Registry Drive Campaign Lets Students Know Their Spit Could Save a Life; Kick-Off Events Planned in Boston and Atlanta
NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year, DoSomething.org and Be The Match are collaborating to ask college students to 'Give a Spit about Cancer' by hosting bone marrow donor registry drives on their campuses. Through campaign efforts from 2011's 'Give a Spit about Cancer,' 8 cancer patients found donor matches ultimately saving their lives through the campaign. This year, the campaign aims to launch drives on over 2,000 college campuses and sign up 15,000 new potential donors. Donors between the age of 18 and 24 are the most in demand, yet many are completely unaware it's as easy as giving a "spit" to join the registry.
This year, there are 10,000 leukemia and lymphoma patients looking for a donor match. Most patients in need of bone marrow transplants don't have a match within their family; they rely on complete strangers that are found through the national Be The Match Registry. DoSomething.org and Be The Match challenge college students nationwide to run a donor registry drive, swab their cheeks, and have the chance to cure a cancer patient.
Running through November, 'Give a Spit about Cancer' targets college students to gather, encourage and run bone marrow donor registration drives on their campuses. Participation is simple; college students are only asked to gather a group of friends to help with planning, secure a date/location on campus and get as many of their peers who are committed to donating marrow as possible to register at their event. DoSomething.org and Be The Match provide the rest, with a recruiter to help them organize their drive, marketing materials, and swab kits containing all of the materials needed to register and type 200+ new donors at no cost to the students.
Two launch events are taking place in late September kicking off the campaign on the east coast. The first event is being held on Atlanta's Spelman College campus on September 26th, and the second by Student Universe during College Day at Boston's Fenway Park on September 29th.
The campus that has the most participants at their drive receives $2,000 to throw a pizza party for their friends. Students who spread the word about blood cancer to their friends by sharing statistics become eligible to win a $5,000 scholarship.
"We're so excited to once again partner with Be The Match. The first step in saving lives is spreading the word about how easy it is to register for the Be The Match Registry. The biggest barrier is a lack of education, and together Be The Match and DoSomething.org will work to spread knowledge and register quality potential donors." said Farah Sheikh of DoSomething.org.
"All it takes is a quick swab of the cheek to join the Be The Match Registry," says Nadya Dutchin, National Account Executive, Be The Match. "We are hoping to reach thousands of students, especially males and minority students between the ages of 18-24, as those are the donors that are needed most right now."
In conjunction with DoSomething.org and Be The Match, Minnesota-based college marketing agency, Campus Media Group has joined in to add extra voices around the 'Give a Spit about Cancer' campaign. Through this partnership, Campus Media Group will provide PSA placement services in hundreds of college newspapers across the U.S. as part of its annual StudentRoar PSA program.
To participate in 'Give a Spit about Cancer,' or for more information on starting a campus bone marrow donor registry drive, please visit www.DoSomething.org/spit, or text "SPIT" to 38383.
About DoSomething.org:
We love teens. They are creative, active, wired…and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn't require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join us at www.DoSomething.org.
About Be The Match:
Be The Match helps patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases who need a marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can join the Be The Match Registry® – the world's largest listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units – contribute financially and volunteer. Patients and their families can also turn to Be The Match for support and resources before, during and after transplant. Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research so more lives can be saved. For more information, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.
SOURCE DoSomething.org
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