Sept/Oct 2023 Philanthropy Update
SDBB partners with the community to hold blood drives throughout Southern California.
Dear Friend,
I am happy to share San Diego Blood Bank’s October-November Philanthropy Update that highlights the impact made by our financial supporters. Your generosity and support of our mission makes it possible for us to save lives and advance health. We are grateful for your continued partnership!
For 73 years, San Diego Blood Bank has remained a cornerstone in community health, committed to serving San Diego County and the Southern California Region with blood products for patients in need.
Thank you for your investment in our mission. Together, we give hope and life to thousands of patients each year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at cclector@sandiegobloodbank.org or (619) 400-8214.
All my best,
Cherryl
Cherryl Castro-Lector
Director of Development
(619) 400-8214
cclector@sdbb.org
the “Be cool” COOLER CAMPAIGN
We are halfway there, but need your help to complete funding!
Blood recipient Mason receiving blood during a treatment for Crohn’s disease.
Generous donors have funded 150 coolers so far, but we need your help to complete the funding for 300 coolers needed to transport lifesaving blood to our hospital partners for patients in need. It is critical we have quality, insulated coolers to transport blood, and your $55 gift will fund a new cooler - like the one pictured with Mason above - will transport the gift of life.
The need for blood at our local hospitals is always there, so help us keep the blood moving and on the shelves when the community needs it.
Corporate, matching, and foundation support is welcome. To support the Cooler Campaign, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at cclector@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8214.
Advancing Precision Blood™
New Funding and Clinical Trial Partnership with Rady Children’s Hospital
We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone for our Precision Blood™ initiative, an innovative approach aims that to revolutionize blood transfusions by matching donors and recipients across more than 30 different blood groups using 300 antigen markers. Thanks to generous funding from the Cushman Foundation and the David C. Copley Foundation, we are set to take Precision Blood to the next level.
Leveraging Funding to Drive Clinical Trials and Community Engagement
This significant financial backing serves as the cornerstone for our next steps. These funds will enable us to:
Purchase a tube sorter machine to increase our processing capabilities.
Expand our lab space to house the necessary equipment and scaled operations.
Move forward with clinical studies and research.
With the necessary resources in place, we are launching a pivotal clinical trial in collaboration with Rady Children’s Hospital - San Diego. This trial will explore the benefits of precise blood matching in improving medical outcomes for patients requiring chronic transfusions.
Community support is vital for the success of our Precision Blood initiative, so we’re excited to announce a $67,500 matching grant opportunity available through the David C. Copley Foundation until June 1, 2024. Your contributions will be doubled, further enabling the expansion of this groundbreaking program. We are also actively seeking to diversify our blood donor pool to ensure success.
How You Can Help
Donate Blood: Every drop counts in making this initiative a success.
Financial Contributions: Help us meet our matching grant challenge.
Spread the Word: Share this blog post and our mission with your network.
We are incredibly grateful for the community's support and are optimistic about the transformative impact this will have on healthcare. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of patients in need.
Read the full press release and announcement.
For more information about Precision Blood and how to provide financial support click HERE.
CELEBRATING 73 YEARS OF saving LIVES!
SDBB remains committed to our mission of responding to the need for blood 24/7, and this year we are celebrating 73 years of serving the community. We rely on the generosity of blood and financial donors, and proudly collaborate with community partners to act as the primary supplier of blood to hospitals in our region. We have also served as a national blood provider during major tragedies.
Did You Know?
SDBB was the first blood bank to distribute blood to New York on 9/11. Our mission continues today as we respond to the blood supply needs of our hospital partners and the urgent demand for blood during shortages and tragic events.
Financial Donors Are an Integral Part of Our Mission
Financial donations make a difference by helping to fund our greatest needs: blood bags, supplies, and blood collection equipment such as bloodmobiles that are on the road every day collecting lifesaving blood.
For information on how you can impact lives in your community by supporting SDBB, visit sandiegobloodbank.org/give or contact Director of Development, Cherryl Castro-Lector, at cclector@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8214.
On September 17, 2023, over 5,000 San Diegans ran, walked, or rolled through San Diego's beautiful Waterfront Park for the 2023 Live Well San Diego 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, hosted by Live Well San Diego. As a Live Well partner, San Diego Blood Bank hosted an exhibition booth, a blood drive, and gathered a team to join the fun. This annual event brings thousands of San Diegans together in support of a healthy, safe, and thriving San Diego County.
Thank you to Everbowl and Fabletics for contributing to the prize packages we gave away at our booth. SDBB appreciates your support!
special thanks
Check presentation at Walmart #4169 in El Cajon, CA.
San Diego Blood Bank gives a special Thank You to El Cajon Walmart store #4169 and San Diego Walmart store # 5638 for your generous donations both supporting your local Donor Centers.
San Diego Blood Bank, our volunteer blood donors and patients we serve appreciate your support!
For more information about corporate support for SDBB programs, contact Susan Josephson, Development Manager, at sjosephson@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8320.
Meet team survivor bryan
Bryan was hit by a truck while riding his bike to work, and during his long recovery, he required a large number of blood transfusions. Because of blood donors and philanthropy, he is now able to live his best life. Bryan is very thankful for the people who have helped him along the way.
As an ambassador for SDBB and a member of Team Survivor, Bryan may be seen visiting our donor centers and events to thank blood donors and to encourage the community to get involved.
featured partner
San Diego Blood Bank would like to thank the Henry L. Guenther Foundation for supporting Campaign for Life with a $100,000 grant toward a new bloodmobile. Their generosity allows us to add a vital, lifesaving vehicle to our fleet. Our bloodmobiles are in the community nearly every day of the year, giving us the chance to reach deeper in communities to serve our volunteer blood donors and collect blood for patients in need. We are extremely grateful for this significant gift, as well as the Guenther Foundation’s continued partnership in saving lives with SDBB!
Meet NursE Gwen
“Hello, I’m Gwen. Friends call me the “Vein Whisperer,” but that didn’t happen overnight. I have been a nurse/blood collector/phlebotomist for almost 45 years!
I have spent five years as a dialysis nurse, 10 years as a plasmapheresis nurse, then 34 years as a plateletpheresis nurse at SDBB. Needless to say, I have found my niche. My career at SDBB has been rewarding professionally and personally. I will admit it didn’t come without challenges. I had to learn to keep up with ongoing changes, especially with technology.
Friends and donors have come and gone, but I’m still here because I love the work I do and the personal connections I’ve made. How much longer? Only time will tell!”
Corporate Partnership Opportunities
SDBB is grateful to our corporate partners who are passionate about saving and improving the lives of the patients we serve. They host blood drives, their employees volunteer and give blood, and they give financially to help support our greatest needs such as a new bloodmobile, lab equipment, blood collection supplies, and research.
We work with companies and organizations to create mutually beneficial partnership opportunities, and there are many ways to support our work, including:
Make a corporate gift to support a specific need
Sponsor an event such as our Connect to Life receptions
Help fund a program such as Precision Blood™ or High School Blood Drive Challenge
Encourage employee volunteering
Make a gift in honor of employee volunteer hours
Provide a matching gift for an annual appeal
Conduct a point-of-sale or cash register round-up campaign
Fundraise for SDBB by hosting a gala, golf tournament, auction, run/walk, or other event that raises funds to benefit our mission
SDBB recognizes our corporate partners throughout the year in various digital and print channels, on our donor center digital displays (in six of our donor centers) and on our bloodmobiles!
For more information about corporate partnerships, please contact
Susan Josephson, Development Manager, at sjosephson@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8320.
Planned Giving
Philanthropy is personal, and every donor has a unique “why” they give. There are many ways to make a planned gift such as stock, real estate, life insurance, will or living trust, charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust, and charitable lead trust. SDBB also has an endowment at San Diego Foundation, and we welcome gifts to fund # 4727 (please include the fund number on your check).
For more information about how to contribute to SDBB’s endowment or create your legacy through planned giving to SDBB, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at cclector@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8214.
meet claudine
Claudine Van Gonka, our Director of Community Relations and Media, was recently featured in The Faces of San Diego hosted by Brad Weber of Local Umbrella Media. We are proud of her hard work to manage our community relations and be the face of SDBB in the community. The learn about Claudine visit Claudine Van Gonka - The Faces of San Diego
Health and Wellness
September is Blood Cancer awareness Month
Blood Cancer Awareness Month is a global event helping to raise awareness of one of the world’s most prevalent and dangerous cancers: blood cancer.
Each September, the spotlight is put firmly on blood cancer and the impact it has on our communities and the urgent need for more action.
Raising awareness of blood cancer, its signs and symptoms and its impact, will help to improve early diagnosis, encourage policymakers to prioritize the disease, as well as help everyone with blood cancer feel connected and heard.
For more information, visit bloodcancermonth.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.
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.
GoodShop: 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. Contact Development Communications Manager Diane Owens at (619) 400-8336 or dowens@sdbb.org.
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. Contact Development Manager Susan Josephson at (619) 400-8320 or sjosephson@sdbb.org.
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
