Rhode Island Blood Center
Press Release
Press Release:
Immediate Release:
Contact: Kathy Connolly, 401- 453-8555
Current
donors become Blood Center Ambassadors,
joining an aggressive effort to recruit new blood donors
To continue to maintain an
adequate blood supply locally and regionally, the Rhode Island
Blood Center is reaching out to its current donors to help recruit
first time blood donors.
“We consistently need to
cultivate new donors to be able to serve our community,” said
Lawrence F. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island
Blood Center. “Our community is an expanding one, reaching
regionally now and including areas of Southeastern New England.
“The process of recruiting
new donors is ongoing,” Smith said. “It’s natural that some
donors, over time, can no longer donate. To continue to meet the
community’s needs we need to find new donors to replace those
who no longer are able to donate.
“There’s no group that is better equipped to help encourage new
donors than our current loyal donors,” Smith said. “Therefore,
we’ve developed an Ambassador Club in which current blood donors
agree to recruit new donors from among family, friends and
co-workers.”
Each
Ambassador receives a packet of materials to present to a
prospective donor, recognizing that each new donor he or she
recruits represents another opportunity to save lives.
“I’m passionate about donating blood,” said Tony Deller, a
frequent donor. “I give as often as I can, knowing that with
each donation I could save somebody’s life.
“Now the Rhode Island Blood Center is giving me the tools to
help recruit new blood donors,” Deller said. “Because I’m a
regular blood donor, the Blood Center knows I understand the
importance of donating blood.”
Currently, the Blood Center must collect up to 280 pints of blood
daily to take care of patients’ needs in our community.
An
Ambassador will be given materials to help them approach
individuals who may not have donated previously and to encourage
them to give blood donation a try.
Research
says that the main reason people don’t donate is they are simply
not asked. Blood Center Ambassadors will help extend that
invitation to people who have never donated before.
The new
Ambassadors will supplement the Blood Center’s other aggressive
programs that are developing new donors and encouraging current
ones to donate more frequently.
The Blood
Center actively recruits donors to its convenient fixed locations,
and to several blood drives around the state that are held each
day. The Blood Center also actively recruits donors by calling
existing donors to make appointments, sends out weekly mailings,
invests in radio and television advertising, produces a five-time
a year newsletter, and presents its own cable television program.
While these are all helpful tools, the Blood Center recognizes
that the most effective way to recruit a donor is the personal
approach. That’s where the Blood Center’s Ambassadors will have a
significant impact.
Each
Ambassador will receive a unique kit to give to the prospective
donor. This kit will contain further information on why donating
blood is important and how the individual can make their first
donation.
Blood donors who are interested in becoming ambassadors should ask
about the program the next time they come in to donate.
