How to arrange Bone Marrow Drives

1. Publicity/public awareness & education
   Creating awareness through talks and distributing educational materials is an important first step. Informing the volunteer donors that participating in the registry is a long- term commitment to all patients in need, not the immediate availability for just one particular patient. All publicity materials with patient focus are prepared to suit the need of the drive audience
   
   
2. Recruitment
   An informed potential volunteer agrees to join the National Marrow Donor Program registry by completing a health history form and giving a swab of cheek cells for testing.
   
   
3. Drive date
   Combine a drive with cultural, religious and social events or any occasion where people gather. If you can get 25-30 eligible people to agree to become marrow donors, we can do a drive in your home or apartment. SAMAR has an ongoing program and donor recruitment drives are held on a regular basis. Call 718-592-0821 for information.
   
   
4. Drive set up
   Before setting up the drive discuss the logistics with us. Please give two weeks notice to make arrangements. SAMAR will organize the buccal (cheek) swab process, do the paper work and arrange for medical waste disposal. There is no cost to you or the volunteer donors. A suitable place is required for paper work and for the potential donors to give their swab of cheek cells..  We will need at least 2 to 3 tables and a dozen chairs
   
   
5. Follow up efforts
   A lot goes between the first and final step of becoming a donor. SAMAR interacts with the donors on an ongoing basis through the use of multi media, news-letters and follow up to the final stage of marrow donation. SAMAR is an official recruitment group of the NMDP and experienced in balancing the various components of a successful recruitment campaign. Since there is a critical shortage of minority representation in the national registry, we recruit all minorities. We will be glad to discuss and review all the information with you.

Courtesy of SAMAR- http://www.samarinfo.org/arrangedr.htm