January/February 2023 Philanthropy Update
Financial gifts support blood donors that give the gift of life to patients in need.
Dear Friend,
I am so excited and thankful to begin 2023 with you, our San Diego Blood Bank supporters, who help give the gift of life to so many in our community. Philanthropy impacts every aspect of our mission, and we thank you for your ongoing support.
Through the support of 256 financial donors, we successfully raised over $99,000 towards the $75,000 match for the Campaign for Life! Many thanks to San Diego Self Storage and Managing Partner, Anthony R. Carr, for putting before us the challenge to raise vital funds for a new San Diego bloodmobile. We also thank our loyal donors for supporting our efforts. We are beyond grateful, and we cannot thank you enough!
Lastly, if you made a financial gift last year, your end-of-year tax summary letter and our first Stewardship Report of the year have been sent through the post. If for some reason you do not receive yours, please contact me at cclector@sdbb.org or 619.400.8214. I look forward to sharing more updates with you throughout the year.
Through your partnership, we make a difference in the lives of patients in need.
With sincere gratitude,
Cherryl Castro-Lector
Director of Development
(619) 400-8214
cclector@sdbb.org
Campaign for life
we met our goal to fund a New bloodmobile!
Thanks to generous gifts from San Diego Self Storage and Managing Partner Anthony R. Carr, the Cushman Foundation, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, Grossmont Healthcare District, and individual donors, we raised just over $380,000 to fund a new bloodmobile!
Special thanks to San Diego Self Storage and Managing Partner Anthony R. Carr for donating $75,000 for a matching gift challenge for year-end giving in 2022. We would also like to thank the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors for their unwavering support of our lifesaving mission. The Cushman Foundation and Grossmont Healthcare District are long-time partners of SDBB and we are grateful for their continued support.
We expect delivery in early 2024, and look forward to updating our supporters on how the new bloodmobile will serve San Diego and help SDBB collect more lifesaving blood to help save more lives.
For more information about other resources needed for blood collection and partnership opportunities, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development at (619) 400-8214 or cclector@sdbb.org.
january is national blood donor month
For over 30 years, Walter has devoted his time and efforts as a blood donor and volunteer. Walter is a member of SDBB’s Guardian Circle and has made over 300 blood donations to date, saving hundreds of lives.
San Diego Blood Bank is celebrating National Blood donor Month
San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB), the local blood bank serving San Diego County, is celebrating National Blood Donor Month throughout the month of January by honoring blood donors who regularly roll up their sleeves and help save lives and inviting those who have never donated before.
National Blood Donor Month has been observed in January since 1970 with the goal of increasing blood and platelet donations during winter – one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs. Right now, there is an urgent need for blood donations, as San Diego’s blood supply is critically low and SDBB is experiencing supply chain challenges.
Every two seconds in America, someone needs blood, and one in seven patients entering a hospital require blood transfusions. This ranges from trauma victims to patients battling sickle cell disease or Thalassemia or to ensure a successful organ or bone marrow transplant. Cancer patients use 25 percent of all blood donations and blood transfusions are needed in one out of every 83 newborn deliveries in America today. One blood donation could save up to three lives.
“Blood is unique in our healthcare system,” said Doug Morton, San Diego Blood Bank CEO. “There is no substitute, and it cannot be synthetically made so volunteer blood donations are the only way to provide blood to hospital patients in need.”
More information about National Blood Donor Month can be found at SanDiegoBloodBank.org/nbdm. To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in general good health.
Appointments are encouraged and available by visiting sandiegobloodbank.org or by calling (619) 400-8251. Walk-ins are welcome.
vital sustaining support
Join San Diego Blood Bank’s
monthly Giving Program
SDBB’s monthly giving program, the Visionary Circle, is a great way to support our ongoing blood collection and research efforts.
SDBB donor centers and our mobile blood collection program help to make blood donation convenient no matter where you are in San Diego County. To accommodate hundreds of donors each month, the centers and bloodmobiles require constant restocking of supplies and equipment.
As a monthly donor, your support will help provide consistent and reliable funding for the ongoing needs of our blood collection program that provides our hospital partners with blood for patients in need.
With your help, we can ensure a steady blood supply to our community and continue to save thousands of lives every year.
For more information about the Visionary Circle program, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at (619) 400-8214 or cclector@sdbb.org.
February is American Heart Month, a time when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to heart attack. You can greatly reduce your risk for heart disease through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medicine.
You can do a lot to protect your heart. Learn more about heart-healthy living.
Prioritizing your heart can help you avoid severe illness. People with poor cardiovascular health are also at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Learn how COVID-19 affects your heart.
Self-care is heart-health care. Practicing self-care can keep our hearts healthy. Being physically active, eating healthier foods, getting enough sleep, not smoking, and finding healthy ways to reduce stress can help prevent heart disease. And, when we take care of our hearts, we set an example for those around us to do the same.
Get to know #OurHearts! Learn what a healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and blood sugar level is for you and how they impact your risk for heart disease. Having a basic understanding of information that concerns your health and using the information to inform health-related decisions and actions for yourself and others, is strongly linked to better health.
For more information about heart disease, visit About Heart Disease | cdc.gov or American Heart Month | NHLBI, NIH.
sdbb in action
more than 300 donors attended
padres winter blood drive
More than 300 blood donors attended the San Diego Padres Winter Blood Drive, held on January 10th at Petco Park’s Gallagher Square. All donors received a limited-edition Padres Winter Blood Drive T-shirt and Padres Swag.
“We are truly grateful to the Padres and all of the donors at the drive today for helping us collect this lifesaving blood during a very critical time” said San Diego Blood Bank CEO Doug Morton. “We’ve experienced low supply of all types for weeks now, so this drive came at the perfect time.”
“The partnership between the Padres and the San Diego Blood Bank continues to prove to be a solid one as evidenced by today’s successful Winter Blood Drive,” said Tom Seidler, Padres Sr. VP of Community & Military Affairs. “Despite the elements, we were able to accommodate a number of donors and help in this area of need. We look forward to hosting many more drives here at Petco Park in the future.”
Since 2017, the San Diego Padres have helped collect more than 2,500 pints of blood supporting thousands of patients in Southern California hospitals.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 114 pounds, and be in general good health. Eligible blood donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment at SanDiegoBloodBank.org or calling 619-400-8251.
Meet team survivor kimberly
Kimberly donated blood for herself when she needed spine surgery years ago. She realized the importance of blood donation and is now a dedicated blood donor who donates regularly in the name of Ruby,a little girl who has leukemia.
Special Thanks
We are grateful to The Morrison & Foerster Foundation for their recent gift of $15,000 in support of our mission.
Their commitment to SDBB helps fuel our mission of connecting diverse communities to save and improve lives through blood and biotherapies.
Thank you for supporting San Diego Blood Bank and helping to save lives in our community!
2021/2022 Impact Report
We are pleased to share San Diego Blood Bank’s 2021/2022 Impact Report that highlights the impact of our blood collection and research services. Your support of our mission makes it possible for us to save lives and advance health in our community, and we are grateful for your partnership as a financial donor.
In addition to expanding our Blood Collection Program with two new donor sites, over the past year we launched new programs to reward blood donors and to collaborate with community partners on a larger scale to inspire people to donate blood. We also invested in innovative blood genotyping technology to more closely match blood types to help prevent complications in blood recipients.
SDBB’s mission remains steadfast, and we appreciate your investment in helping ensure patients suffering from illness, injury or a life-threatening condition or disease receive lifesaving blood.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the impact of your support, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector at 619-400-8214 or cclector@sandiegobloodbank.org.
donate your unwanted vehicle
to san Diego Blood Bank
San Diego Blood Bank is partnering with Charitable Adult Rides and Services (CARS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise owned by a nonprofit and supporting only nonprofits through vehicle donations. CARS takes care of everything, from the pick-up and sale, to sending you the donation receipt and necessary tax documents. CARS is committed to treating every vehicle donor with gratitude and great service while delivering the highest possible returns to our partners. To date, CARS has returned more than $300 million to their nonprofit partners because of vehicles donors.
Simply click HERE to complete the form, and CARS will reach out to you to arrange the pick-up of your vehicle donation, at no cost to you. You will make a difference in the lives of patients needing lifesaving blood and your generous gift could earn you a tax deduction.
CauseNetwork Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, founded National Car Donation Month to bring awareness to vehicle donations.
partners in community health
Community Guardians, San Diego’s new community partner program, was created to increase the number of local businesses and organizations committed to helping protect our region’s blood supply.
Community Guardians help advocate for blood donations, recruit blood donors, and/or provide financial support for events and donor programs. Contact Claudine Van Gonka, Director of Community Relations and Media at cvangonka@sdbb.org or visit sandiegobloodbank.org/community-guardians for more information.
Photo: cna.org
Health and Wellness
To stay connected to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention latest COVID-19 health updates click HERE.
Other Ways to Support SDBB
Gifts of Stock are a great way to make a lifesaving impact
San Diego Blood Bank’s Financial Development Department accepts appreciated gifts of stock with tax benefits for the donor.
Donating stock is a great way to ensure you maximize your impact, with the added advantage of a tax deduction and removal of future capital gains.
For more information on how to donate your stock, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at (619) 400-8214 or cclector@sdbb.org.
Shop. Donate. Save lives!
While shopping for gifts or everyday essentials, you can also support San Diego Blood Bank! Here are a few sites you can use to find those perfect gifts while donating to SDBB to support our life-saving efforts.
Register and choose San Diego Blood Bank as your charity of choice. Then use their search engine to find what you’re looking for and click through to a retailer's site to make your purchase, part of which will go to SDBB.
iGive: This works almost the same way, but you use a button on various retailers' websites. Go through the iGive.com easy registration process and choose San Diego Blood Bank. Your favorite retailers will start supporting SDBB.
Ways to Make a Financial Gift
MONTHLY GIVING — Join our Visionary Circle by making a monthly gift to help sustain SDBB’s mission. Monthly gifts fund SDBB’s annual greatest need.
GIFTS OF STOCK — Did you know San Diego Blood Bank accepts appreciated gifts of stock with tax benefits for the donor? For more information on how to donate your stock, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at (619) 400-8214 or cclector@sdbb.org.
MATCHING GIFTS — Ask your employer if your company has an employee matching program. Double your impact and encourage corporate giving to local nonprofits like SDBB.
COMMUNITY AND DIY FUNDRAISING — Partner with SDBB and fundraise with your company or team or for your birthday with a Facebook fundraiser! Contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at 619-400-8214 or cclector@sdbb.org.
CHANGEUP — Sign up on changeupforcharity.com, choose San Diego Blood Bank and Changeup will round up your purchases and donate the spare change to SDBB.
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THANK YOU TO OUR TOP SPONSORS
