Spring 2025 Philanthropy Update

 
 
 
 
 

Special guest speaker at our Connect to Life event on April 29th, Dr. Abisola Olulade, talks about the need for blood to treat many diseases and medical conditions, the importance of diversity in the blood supply, and the vital role San Diego Blood Bank has and continues to play in saving lives in Southern California.

 

Dear Friend,

I am thrilled to announce that we have successfully secured all of the necessary funds for our new bloodmobile! We are eagerly awaiting its arrival which is expected to be in Fall 2025. Thanks to the generosity of individuals, community foundations, and corporations, San Diego Blood Bank can enhance our life-saving fleet in service and support of more than 2,000 annual blood drives in the Southern California region.  
 
Your partnership keeps our mission in motion! 

We also greatly appreciate the financial donations in support of our blood collection and distribution operations which ensure a steady blood supply for our community and ultimately save more local lives. Your ongoing partnership and dedication to our mission are invaluable to us. Thank you for your support in making the purchase of our new bloodmobile possible! 

San Diego Blood Bank is continuing its 75th Anniversary celebration throughout 2025 and you’re invited to join us! Read more about our legacy of saving lives across Southern California since 1950 on our website.  

Want to honor our milestone with a financial gift, bequest, or corporate sponsorship? I’m available to answer any of your philanthropy questions and share more ways to give to San Diego Blood Bank by phone (619) 400-8214 or email cclector@sdbb.org. 

With heartfelt appreciation,  

 
 
 
 

Cherryl Castro-Lector
Director of Development
(619) 400-8214
cclector@sdbb.org

 

Help keep life-saving blood on the move

 
 

While we have successfully raised 100% of the necessary funds to purchase a new bloodmobile and through the support of individuals, foundations, and corporations, we’ve secured the funds to purchase a new blood transport vehicle for Hospital Services.

However, San Diego Blood Bank is still in need of one more blood transport van. These vehicles are critical for transporting blood donations from mobile blood drives to our headquarters to delivering stat emergency hospital blood products, our transport vehicles make our mission possible. 

Contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations are welcome to help us enhance our operational efficiency and continue to provide vital services to our community.  

Learn more about our campaign! 

our BLOODMOBILE is 100% funded

 
 

We did it—together! Generous individuals, foundation, and corporate donors helped us meet our campaign goal of raising $750,000 to purchase a vital new bloodmobile to serve Southern California. We would like to thank San Diego Self Storage and Managing Partner, Anthony R. Carr, the John P. Martin Foundation, and Grossmont Healthcare District for their generous gifts that were pivotal to the success of this campaign. 
 
Financial donors are helping to keep hope on the road by supporting our community blood drives. This new bloodmobile offers increased access to more parts of the region, convenience for donors, and of course—more blood on the shelves to save lives.  

Connect to Life Donor Event

 

Guests at our Connect to Life event at the San Diego Air & Space Museum listen to guest speaker Anjanette Maraya-Rama speak about how blood donations helped her survive leukemia.

 

On Tuesday, April 29th, San Diego Blood Bank’s Financial Development team hosted the biannual Connect to Life stewardship and educational event at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park. More than 100 guests gathered to celebrate and learn more about SDBB’s 75 years of providing safe, quality blood components to hospitals across the Southern California region. We were honored to have Dr. Abisola Olulade, a public health advocate and family medicine provider from Sharp Rees-Stealy, speak about the importance of volunteer blood donor diversity and their impact on maintaining a reliable and safe blood supply.

Following Dr. Olulade's insightful presentation, Anjanette Maraya-Ramey, a leukemia survivor who benefited from blood donations provided by our community’s dedicated blood donors, shared her inspiring story of survival. Anjanette’s journey to remission empowered her to build upon a lifelong dream, one that was present for all to see at our event. Guests enjoyed an emotional and heartfelt closing showcase of "Fight Song," performed by Anjanette’s students from her company, Maraya Performing Arts. The powerful anthem celebrated the determination and perseverance required to face adversity and illness. And reminded us that only together, can we overcome.

Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed the cuisine provided by Continental Catering, as well as bidding on the auction items generously donated by the following partners:

  • Coronado Playhouse

  • Cygnet Theatre

  • Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

  • Chris Capistran, Holistic Health Coach at Enlightened Fitness

  • Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum

  • J.K. Libs, D.C. at Libs Chiropractic Center

  • Michelle Harvey with Karmatude Candles

  • Kendra Scott

  • Lamb’s Players Theatre

  • Moonlight Stage Productions/City of Vista

  • San Diego Ballet

  • San Diego Museum of Art

  • San Diego Symphony

  • San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

  • Stanley Steemer San Diego

  • Hilary Cocalis, SDBB Board Member, Founder & CEO of Sipwell Wine Company

  • Michel & Lesa Malecot, Owners & Chef at The French Gourmet

    Funds raised through the silent auction and floral centerpieces by Jasmine Creek Florist benefited the Vehicle Campaign to secure a new transport vehicle.

featured partner

 
 

Since 1995, Sycuan Casino Resort has been a valuable partner in helping San Diego Blood Bank save thousands of lives every year. This year, Sycuan Casino Resort is once again the Presenting Sponsor of the annual Padres Summer Blood Drive for the 9th year. This event has become a blood donor, sponsor, and volunteer favorite, and collected more than 3,600 pints of blood—impacting the lives of up to 10,800 local patients! Last year’s drive exceeded 600 pints, breaking our Padres Summer Blood Drive record! Thank you, Sycuan Casino Resort! In addition to sponsoring this annual blood drive, Sycuan also hosts blood drives each year that have totaled 300 pints collected, impacting almost 1,000 patient lives.  
 
Check out this video on Instagram showcasing this year’s blood drive 

MArK YOUR CALENDAR

Padres summer blood Drive — May 22, 2025

 

Save lives with the San Diego Padres on May 22, 2025 at Petco Park, for the Padres Summer Blood Drive.

 

We’re teaming up with the San Diego Padres for the 9th Annual Padres Summer Blood Drive.

This blood drive is open to the public for fans and donors to come together to help the community prepare for the summer months when the blood supply tends to take a dip.  

All presenting blood donors will receive exclusive San Diego Padres giveaways, access to a pair of game tickets to a Padres home game, and a limited-edition Padres Summer Blood Drive T-shirt, while sizes and supplies last.  

Learn more and sign up to donate blood at sandiegobloodbank.org/padres-blood-drive  

To donate blood, you must be 17 years old, weigh at least 110 lbs. and be in general good health. Appointments encouraged. Walk-ins are welcome. View Donor FAQs 

special thanks

 
 

Thank you to Grossmont Healthcare District for their gift of $19,290 to support a new bloodmobile for San Diego. During our 26th year as community partners, GHD continues to grow our blood collection efforts as a blood drive host and foundation donor. 

Thank you to the San Diego County Employees Charitable Organization (CECO) for a $1,680 grant to fund two new laptops that will be used on our new bloodmobile. These laptops will allow our Nursing & Community Wellness team to register each donor who gives blood at a mobile blood drive.  

Many thanks to CECO for partnering with San Diego Blood Bank and providing us with the vital technology and resources to collect life-saving blood.   

 
 

Many thanks to the San Diego Gulls Foundation for its recent $1,000 gift to support the Vehicle Campaign. For seven years, the Gulls Foundation has shined the light on San Diego Blood Bank’s mission to save lives through vital blood collection and distribution to patients in need. We would also like to thank the San Diego Gulls for hosting a blood drive in April and rewarding donors with tickets to a game. Thank you for your ongoing community partnership!  

giving back at kendra scott

 

Volunteer Stephanie welcomed patrons at Kendra Scott as they shopped for a cause.

 

Guests at the Kendra Scott UTC location participated in a charitable shopping event in support of San Diego Blood Bank. From sparkling jewelry to inspiring stories, the afternoon served as a poignant reminder of the deep connections we shared. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Therefore, it isn’t uncommon to encounter individuals who have been positively impacted by the life-saving blood provided by SDBB.

We are immensely grateful to those who made purchases during this special promotion, and for this impactful partnership and the generosity of Kendra Scott, whose dedication to philanthropy shines as brightly as her collection. Together, we are furthering SDBB’s life-saving mission.

We invite you to join us for the upcoming Give Back Event Day with Kendra Scott at the Fashion Valley location on Saturday, June 7th, from noon to 2 p.m. Let's continue to make a difference together.

 
 

FY23-24 Impact Report

how your support helped our community last year

Philanthropy impacts every aspect of the mission of San Diego Blood Bank. Our generous financial and blood donors support life-saving blood services and medical research to advance health and wellness.

CLICK HERE to view the digital Impact Report

Corporate Partnership Opportunities

Corporate Partnership Opportunities: Give Hope. Inspire Action. Transform Lives. 

This year, we invite you to deepen your connection with San Diego Blood Bank's mission and amplify your company's impact—Corporate Sponsorship. 
 
There are many ways to get involved: 

  • Sponsor a blood drive 

  • Purchase a Tribute Brick at San Diego Blood Bank Gateway Donor Center and Headquarters 

  • Fund transportation vehicles 

  • Make in-kind donations 

  • Explore naming opportunities at our 10 donor centers 

  • Volunteer your time. 

This is your opportunity to make a difference. By becoming a corporate sponsor, you can help us expand our reach, save more lives, and build a stronger, healthier community. Together, we can drive a future where every patient has access to the blood they need.  

San Diego Blood Bank celebrates our corporate partners year-round through recognition in print, digital, and social channels, donor center displays, and on our vehicles. 

For more information about corporate partnerships, please contact Corporate Giving Manager, Christopher Tobin, at ctobin@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8235. 

planned giving: your legacy

Philanthropy is personal, and every donor has a unique “why” for 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.

For more information on legacy gifts to San Diego Blood Bank, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at (619) 400-8214 or cclector@sdbb.org.

 
 

donate your unwanted vehicle

to san Diego Blood Bank

San Diego Blood Bank is proud to partner 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.

It’s easy!  Click here and complete the form. CARS will reach 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 in support of our lifesaving mission.

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 San Diego Blood Bank.

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 San Diego Blood Bank.

Paypal: Supporters can donate to San Diego Blood Bank on PayPal, eBay, and other online platforms through the PayPal Giving Fund. Register and choose San Diego Blood Bank as your charity of choice. 

 
 
 

Ways to Make a Financial Gift

 

MONTHLY GIVING — Join our Visionary Circle by making a monthly gift to help sustain our mission. Monthly gifts fund San Diego Blood Bank’s greatest needs. To join the Visionary Circle, contact Development 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?

MATCHING GIFTS — Ask your employer if your company has an employee matching program. Double your impact and encourage corporate giving to local nonprofits

COMMUNITY AND DIY FUNDRAISING — Partner with us and fundraise with your company or team or for your birthday with a Facebook fundraiser!

 
 

HELPFUL LINKS

THANK YOU TO OUR TOP SPONSORS

 
 
 
 

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

 
 
 
 
 
 
NewsletterDiane Owens75th Anniversary