Summer 2025 Philanthropy Update

 
 
 
 

Sevey and her family enjoyed walking around the Comic-Con blood drive to thank donors for giving blood. Sevey has received more than 58 blood transfusions since birth to help her overcome a rare and life-threatening form of anemia and will require blood every few weeks for the rest of her life. 

 

Dear Friend,

On behalf of San Diego Blood Bank, we extend our gratitude to all the blood donors who contributed to the record-breaking success of Comic-Con's 49th Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive. Throughout the five-day event, we collected more than 3,300 units of essential blood, which will enable us to provide vital care to up to 10,000 local hospital patients. Your support is instrumental in saving lives, and we thank you for partnering with SDBB in this important mission.

In addition, I want to thank our generous financial donors who played a pivotal role in the success of our Vehicles Campaign. Thanks to your invaluable support, we are proud to announce the acquisition of two new vehicles. These additions will significantly enhance San Diego Blood Bank’s capacity to transport blood donations from mobile drives to our headquarters, as well as facilitate the timely delivery of critical blood components to patients. Your gifts continue to make a profound difference in our community, and we sincerely thank you for your commitment to our mission. 

In this issue of the Philanthropy Update, we will introduce the Reveos® Automated Blood Processing System, a new platform that will maximize the life-saving potential of each donation—helping us meet critical hospital demands. Because of your support, we are helping more patients in need of life-saving blood transfusions.  

For any questions or to discuss how your philanthropy supports the health and well-being of our community, please feel free to contact me at cclector@sandiegobloodbank.org or (619) 400-8214.   

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

All my best,

 
 
 
 

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

 

You help keep our mission in motion

 
 

With your help, we successfully reached our goal to fund two new transport vans!

Every day, we collect, process, and deliver over 350 units of blood - but none of this happens without reliable vehicles. From mobile blood drives to emergency hospital deliveries, our bloodmobiles and transport vans make it all possible.

Thank you to all of the generous donors who gave to the vehicle campaign. Top donors include Sycuan Casino Resort, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hughson, Hervey Family Fund at San Diego Foundation, Mr. David Szalay, and Barona Resort & Casino.

your continued support provides critical blood collection resources

 
 

Philanthropy is at the heart of our lifesaving efforts to provide much needed resources for blood collection and distribution for patients throughout Southern California. Caring people like you are the reason we impact the lives of so many patients.

At San Diego Blood Bank, we are always striving to do more for our patients, hospitals, and community. To meet growing needs for blood components more efficiently — and ensure the highest quality for every patient — we are investing in the Reveos® Automated Blood Processing System.

Reveos® Automated Blood Processing System

The Reveos is a revolutionary technology that automates the process of separating whole blood into its life-saving components: red cells, platelets, and plasma. Instead of multiple manual steps, the Reveos processes four donations at once in a single, streamlined cycle. This will allow SDBB to process more donations faster, optimize precious staff time, and improve product quality — ultimately helping more patients in need of life-saving transfusions.   

Your support today ensures that San Diego Blood Bank continues leading the way in innovation, quality, and community impact. For more information about Reveos and how philanthropy fuels our mission, please contact Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, at cclector@sdbb.org or (619) 400-8214.

To make a gift today, click HERE or on the button below.

gratitude to generous blood donors

Comic-Con International's 49th Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive

 
 

This year’s 49th Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive at San Diego Comic-Con® was a remarkable success—thanks to our entire community.

During the 5-day blood drive we collected more than 3,300 units of blood, enough to help up to 10,000 local hospital patients receive the care they need.

Whether you donated blood, encouraged a friend to give, volunteered, or simply cheered us on, you were part of making this event memorable. Our new first-floor location welcomed more donors than ever before, and the energy in Grand Hall A was unforgettable.

We’re grateful for everyone who helped make this tradition stronger than ever. We even welcomed 1,284 first-time SDBB donors.

Special shout-out to Comic-Con International, Marvel, The Manchester Grand Hyatt, and Mad Engine for being a huge part of our blood drive. And super special thanks to our incredible SIGN TWIRLER for bringing the energy and helping us recruit more heroes with your super cool moves.

special thanks

 
 

San Diego Blood Bank extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Hervey Family Fund at the San Diego Foundation for their generous grant of $25,000, which will significantly support our life-saving mission. We deeply appreciate the 17 years of collaborative partnership that we have shared with the Hervey Family in serving our San Diego community. We thank them for their continued support and commitment to making a difference in the health and well-being of patients and their families. 

Starbucks Foundation

 
 

Thanks to Starbucks partners (employees) and The Starbucks Foundation for the recent grant of $1,000 in support of our life-saving mission.  We are grateful to the Starbucks Foundation Neighborhood grants that help build sustained local impact.

Corporate Partnership Opportunities

 

Pictured left to right: Sycuan Representative, Glenn Anthony Quiroga, SDBB’s Cherryl Castro-Lector, Director of Development, and Leslie Eagan, VP Donor Services at the 9th Padres Summer Blood Drive at Petco Park, May 22, 2025.

 

San Diego Blood Bank is celebrating our 75th anniversary at the Gift of Life Benefit on Thursday, October 2, 2025, the Mingei International Museum. 

You and your organization can support this milestone event through sponsorships, underwriting opportunities, or in-kind donations.

This is a unique opportunity to:

  • Increase your brand visibility among community leaders and supporters

  • Demonstrate your commitment to community spirit and corporate social responsibility

  • Receive meaningful recognition before, during, and after the event 

We are deeply grateful to the wonderful companies that have donated items to our silent auction so far including: BarkBox, Bitchin’ Sauce, Camp Bow Wow El Cajon, Chipotle, City Cruises, Drew Ramsey Photography, Emerald Spear Tequila, Kendra Scott, Mingei International Museum, Racel Bowman (Artist), Raising Cane’s,San Diego Air & Space Museum, SeaWorld San Diego, Sesame Place San Diego, SUP Pups, Sycuan Casino & Resort, The Century Club of San Diego, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Visions Museum of Textile Art.

For more information about sponsorship, underwriting and in-kind donations click HERE or contact Christopher Tobin-Johnson, Corporate Giving Manager, by email at ctobin-johnson@sdbb.org  or call (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.

Roundup at Walmart.com: You can support SDBB when you shop online or in the Walmart app.  Just choose San Diego Blood Bank as your cause, every little bit makes a difference! 

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, Reveos®