June 18, 2009
He who saves one life, it is if he had saved the entire world” - Talmud
What is Gift of Life?
Gift of Life facilitates bone marrow, blood stem cell and cord blood transplants for children and adults suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Since tissue type is inherited, a patient’s best chance of finding a genetic match lies with donors of similar ethnicity. Gift of Life strives to increase the representation of Jewish donors in the registry in order to overcome the devastating effects of the Holocaust, which severed bloodlines.
Gift of Life Israel
Gift of Life has a dedicated team of volunteers in Israel who help run donor drives in order to find bone marrow matches for patients in need of transplants.
Taglit-Birthright Israel - Providing the gift of a free first time educational trip to Israel, Taglit-Birthright Israel strengthens participants’ Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish people. Gift of Life has been thrilled to present the participants with another rare opportunity- the chance to save lives by joining its registry of volunteer bone marrow donors. Thanks to birthright, hundreds of young adults have enrolled in Gift of Life’s registry at donor drives held in Israel. Many have also taken the mission home, organizing drives on their college campuses through Hillel and other student organizations.
Donor Drives on Campus
If you are a college student and are interested in organizing a drive on campus, Gift of Life has national partnerships with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and AEPi Fraternity. Students take ownership of their drives, using their creativity and ingenuity to make them a success!
AEPi - At the 2004 Alpha Epsilon Pi Convention partnered with the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation to raise awareness among students on college campuses throughout North America about the life-saving potential of bone marrow transplants.
Hillel - Gift of Life established a partnership with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life in 2004. Students on college campuses across North America have the opportunity to participate in programs aimed at raising awareness on their campuses about the life-saving potential of bone marrow transplants and join Gift of Life's registry as volunteer donors.
KEDMA - An international student organization, KEDMA has branches in Israel and the US. They work with university and yeshiva students, aiming to assist disadvantaged communities in Israel and to promote the concept of social justice and tikkun olam."By providing educational outreach on campus, we can reinforce the concept of tikkun olam and recruit young, committed donors who will remain in the registry for many years".
Join Gift of Life Today!
Joining Gift of Life's Registry is simple, fast and painless, requiring only a cheek swab. No blood is drawn at donor drives. For more information, contact Gift of Life’s Recruitment Coordinator at 800-9MARROW or visit www.giftoflife.org