Ideally, one of the ways for Blood Bank of Delmarva to recruit young donors is to ensure they have a great experience donating for the first time at the mobile blood drives held at Delmarva high schools or colleges.
Then, get them to come into the centers, also known as fixed sites. According to Executive Director, Market Insights Lauren Hinz, this will build a donor base for the future.
We’ve seen some promising, anecdotal evidence that indicates this is doable. BBD and the larger enterprise are trying to get more donors in the 16-24 and 25-34 age demographic to donate blood to not just replace donors who have aged out of the donor pool, but also to build a sustainable future for blood banking.
For example, Rebecca Maiorano, a nursing student at Stevenson University, first donated at Middletown High School. At the beginning of the summer, she donated at BBD’s Blood for a Brew campaign, and on August 5 she was among the first donors who came to the newly opened, beautiful Middletown Donor Center.
“It’s just easier to drive here,” Maiorano said.
On July 23, recent Archmere Academy graduate Isabelle Ferris came into the Christiana Donor Center to donate whole blood for the fifth time. She first donated at Archmere in 2023, but she has donated at Christiana since. Her most recent donation was designated for Nemours Children’s Hospital.
“I’m busy most of the time, but whenever I get an email that says there’s a shortage, I cannot say no,” Ferris said. “The first time I did it, I was just curious. What’s my blood type? After that, it was more personal, but it’s such a good cause that helps people. So, I would just say to young people. Think of the difference you [could] make.”
When Shardai LeMon first donated at William Penn High School in 2012, she did it for the snacks. She’s now a regular in our Christiana Donor Center.
“I didn’t want to give anybody my blood, but for the snacks I’ll do it. So, I went and donated blood,” LeMon said. “As I got older, I started seeing it less about the snacks and more about the importance of giving blood, because I’m O-positive.”
The same day that LeMon donated, Ingrid Robson donated. She started donating at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in 2019, but the rest of her five donations have come at Christiana.
“My grandmother almost died because she was given the wrong transfusion in the 50s,” Robson said. “So, it’s given me incentive to give.”
In the same building as Cab Calloway, Emma Swift donated as a student at Charter School of Wilmington the University of Delaware, with her last donation at a school coming in 2016. But, like Robson, she has donated in the Christiana Donor Center six times since, the last on July 30.
“It showed that an everyday person could make a difference,” said Swift, who is now a physician’s assistant with ChristianaCare. “It’s something so easy that you could do to help a lot of people.”
The next day, on July 31, Abby Sprouse donated in the Christiana Donor Center. Usually, she donates with her mother, who had to be with Abby’s younger sister for an appointment that day. She first donated at Blood Bank of Delmarva’s blood drives held at Elkton High School, but she’s been donating at the Christiana Donor Center ever since.
“We’re both nurses, so we know it’s important,” Sprouse said. “It was fun donating with my friends for the first time and being with them. I think pulling from the high schools is a good idea.”
University of Delaware student Andrea Araya was volunteering on the day that Sprouse donated, but she also has donated in the past. She’s a rising senior majoring in biology.
“I’m local, and I’m here for the summer,” Araya said. “That’s a reason why it was so easy for me to come here and donate. “
On August 2, Marissa Kissinger donated blood in Christiana to answer the call for type O blood. She first donated at Saint Mark’s High School in 2015, and continued to donate as a student at the University of Delaware, before making the switch to the Christiana Donor Center.
“Sometimes they’ve had me donate for [Nemours] Children’s Hospital,” Kissinger said.
She’s a medical school student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and she’s rotating at ChristianaCare for the next two years.
“That makes it very convenient to get here,” Kissinger said.
Last but not least, another Spartan, Mackenzie Fanning, was among the first 16-year-olds to donate during the school year at Saint Mark’s High School. Prior to last year, 17 was the minimum age. She loved finding out how much her O negative blood helps people, and the rising Saint Mark’s senior donated on June 4 in Christiana for the third time overall, second time in the fixed site.
“It only takes an hour to donate and save lives,” Fanning said. “Going to the donor center is close. This way I can donate more frequently!”
Executive Director, Donor Engagement Lauren Meyer thinks “it’s fantastic” that mobile drives are bringing the centers young donors, and she looks forward to seeing the data provided by Hinz.
