Digital Donor

WyKisha's brother, Johnny, was especially close to her son, Nick.

Today’s blog entry comes from WyKisha Thomas-McKinney, our Community Advocates Volunteer Coordinator. While WyKisha helps save lives every day in her job at The Blood Center, she also is passionate about another cause – suicide prevention.

Labor Day marks the end of the summer, a day of rest and relaxation for all hard-working Americans. While most people will be enjoying their three-day weekend at picnics, barbecues and football games, I will still be working hard. 

I have worked in the nonprofit sect for over 10 years: first, teaching the community about HIV and the importance of getting tested, then teaching volunteers how to become crisis counselors, and now supporting the Community Advocates for The Blood Center.

The Community Advocates’ blood drives are wonderful opportunities to raise awareness and support for the Neighborhood Donor Centers. They save lives by educating their communities and encouraging them to Commit for Life. I’m happy to do whatever I can to make them successful because I understand that for every person that attends their blood drive, we have to potential to save three more. I guess you could say that my entire career has been based on the business of saving lives. It’s hard work, but it’s a labor of love and one that cannot take a day of rest.

This Labor Day weekend, I’ll be working to save lives in a different way. National Suicide Prevention Week, themed “Families, Community Systems and Suicide,” is Sept. 5 through 11. This week is important to me because my brother, Johnny, died by suicide six years ago, and it just so happens that Sept. 5, the first day of National Suicide Prevention Week, is his birthday. 

In the past, Johnny’s birthday has been very difficult for my family and me to endure.  It’s a constant reminder that he’s not here with us anymore. This year my family and I have vowed not to be sad or upset on his special day, but to celebrate. My brother would be more than upset that we are spending his birthday, which he often proclaimed to be a national holiday, sad and grieving. So we’re going to throw a party for Johnny to help raise awareness of depression and suicide. There will be music, food and cake, all the essentials for a great party, as well as goody bags with filled with pamphlets, bookmarks and other resources for our guests. 

Our goal for this party is not to make light of a very serious situation, but to open the door for discussion in an environment that is warm and welcoming – a place where our guests can be “edutained” (educated and entertained).  

To learn more about National Suicide Prevention Week, please visit the American Association of Suicidology.

Today’s blog entry comes from Ramona Howell, our Commit for Life Program Coordinator. Ramona hails from Romania and, as a result, cannot donate blood. However, she Commits for Life in her own way by leading our Employee Blood Drive Committee. Here, she offers her unique perspective on being able to give back even when donating blood is not an option.

No matter what part of the globe you call home, there are ways you can help save lives.

A big part of Houston’s population is not eligible to donate due to traveling or emigrating from different countries where the BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) is at a high rate. According to FDA regulations, the European countries listed for deferral of donors based on geographic risk of BSE are:

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Serbia and Montenegro.

No matter where we are coming from, our desire and willingness to be present and help our community is there. If we cannot Commit for Life by donating blood, other opportunities are open for us. We can volunteer our time to The Blood Center, offering material support, and we can stay informed, talk to our friends, neighbors and colleagues about the need for blood, and encourage them to donate.

As a born and raised European, I can’t donate blood, but I can Commit for Life in my unique way. Join me! We are here, part of this community, and we can show our support.

For many Commit for Life blood donors, August is one of their favorite months of the year to donate. For years now, individuals have timed their donations so that they’re able to give during the month of August, and groups have scheduled their blood drives far in advance to obtain a prime August date.

 Why all the fuss over this hot Texas month?

 Because for more than 15 years, Blue Bell Creameries has made saving lives during the month of August even sweeter – and a little bit cooler. All who donate or attempt to donate blood during the month of August receive a coupon for a free pint of Blue Bell ice cream, redeemable at the retailer of your choice.

 In 2004, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and Blue Bell Creameries teamed up to solidify what was previously an every-other-year partnership, and began offering Blue Bell month every August at The Blood Center. As the story goes, Blue Bell President and CEO Paul W. Kruse and The Blood Center’s former President and CEO Bill T. Teague developed a friendship while holed up in a hunting blind together during deer season.

 “We like to give back to the communities in which we do business. At Blue Bell we feel that one of the very best ways we can give back is by supporting blood donations because it is such an important and critical service,” said Blue Bell spokesperson Kris Lewis. “Also, it just seems that a pint of Blue Bell is a good reward for giving a pint of blood for the benefit of the community.”

 In fact, Blue Bell is so committed to supporting blood donations in the Lone Star State that they now host promotions with blood centers based in other major Texas cities as well.

 “Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is proud to say that we have had the longest relationship with this community supporter and we look forward to many years of continuing to save lives together,” Media and Events Manager Mary Richards said.

 Since The Blood Center began offering Blue Bell coupons every August in 2004, collections for the month have risen nearly 40 percent. This year, our collection goal for August is 27,800 units – with your help, and the help of “The Little Creamery in Brenham,” we can make it!

Today’s blog entry is a submission from Annetta Morris, the director of our Commit for Life Department.

Most days I don’t get to talk to donors directly unless, in some way, we haven’t met their expectations. However, today was different. Today I spoke to a donor to ask him to be an honoree in our “Circle of Life” bike tour. As an honoree, his picture and story would serve as a representative of blood donors across Texas.

When I called to speak to Ben about this, he was totally shocked and, at first, apprehensive to be an honoree. It took him a bit of explanation for me to understand his reticence about being an honoree. This donor was so humble and kept saying that he does nothing special by donating – “just what anyone else would do to help others.” So, it took me a bit of time to explain why he was chosen as an honoree.

Although I realize he didn’t need or expect admiration for donating, he is a small percentage (less than 5 percent nationally) of the people who quietly save lives every day by donating blood. The fact that he just thought of saving lives as a “normal” was the highlight of my day! To learn more information on the “Circle of Life” bike tour, check out the website.

As the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas, it should come as no surprise that Memorial Hermann Healthcare System is one of The Blood Center’s biggest supporters. The system hosts regular blood drives at all its Houston-area facilities, bringing in thousands of blood donations and helping save countless lives every year.

For the upcoming 2010 – 2011 school year, The Blood Center is working with Memorial Hermann’s “Partners in Caring” (PIC) on an innovative, new way to sponsor one of its Power of Life scholarships. For its August blood drives, Memorial Hermann will forego blood donor T-shirts, instead allowing the money saved on those T-shirts to fund a scholarship. This is a chance for two healthcare organizations to work together to provide for the community and save even more lives together!

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s The Power of Life annual scholarship program awards each of 11 local area high school students a $2,000 scholarship. Exceptional students attending high schools that conduct two or more blood drives with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center per school year may apply. 

Winners are selected from hundreds of applicants based on their creative submissions that offer ideas on how to motivate others to donate blood, ways to contribute when not an eligible donor or how to keep high school donors as active donors after graduation.

Thanks to Memorial Hermann for taking the lead in this creative new way of supporting our community’s youth!