There Goes My Hero Celebrates Success in First University Bone Marrow Drive, Continues Outreach to "Young Donor Demographic"
The Bone Marrow Drive was held at Towson University on Friday, December 9th. The event, Music for Life Benefit Concert & Bone Marrow Drive attracted hundreds of students from Towson University and resulted in the addition of over 100 people to the Bone Marrow registry.
“We were thrilled to see our first university drive be a great success,” said Erik Sauer, There Goes My Hero Chairman, founder, and leukemia survivor. “Targeting young donors is key,” he continued. There Goes My Hero (TGMH) urges young people and minorities to “swab a cheek. . .save a life” by joining the bone marrow registry. “It is especially important to increase the number of young adults and ethnically diverse donors between the ages of 18 and 55,” he concluded.
People from an ethnic minority background are especially needed to join the registry including American Indian, Asian, African-American, Hispanic or Latino and mixed ethnicities. “U.S. minorities are underrepresented in the bone marrow registry,” pointed out Jorge E. Castillo, Vice-President of the Board of Directors. “It is also harder to find a perfect match because of the complex genetic variability that occurs within minorities. To that extend, we urge all minorities to register and possibly save someone’s life,” he added.
The foundation is also working with Michigan State University and Morgan State University to create a similar bone-marrow drive with a concert theme and plans to spread this concept throughout universities in the U.S.. The Morgan State University event is scheduled to kick off in Spring 2012.
There Goes My Hero Foundation is actively recruiting college interns. As thought leaders, the foundation also has a collaborative service program with Loyola University Maryland. Mrs. Stephanie McLoughlin, a board member and affiliate professor at the university’s Joseph E. Sellinger School of Business and Management, has given students an opportunity to tackle business questions and come up with marketing strategies using TGMH as a case study. “By giving students the opportunity to work on a marketing problem with the foundation, students are being exposed to real world problems and can immediately see how they can make a difference in someone’s life,” she explained.
TGMH will have a bone marrow registration booth at their next event “A Taste for Life” scheduled for Thursday, February 23, 2012 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.. The event will feature Single-barrel bourbon, hors d’oeuvres, limited-edition beer tasting, fine wine and the best view in Baltimore. All proceeds benefit There Goes My Hero Foundation.
Purchase your tickets online at https://theregoesmyhero.org/events/2012-taste-for-life/
$50 in advance, $65 at the door.
For more information call Terry Weigel, Executive Director at 410-299-1422.