Gift of Life Marrow Registry - Social Change Maker of the Year - Race

Company: Gift of Life Marrow Registry, Boca Raton, FL
Company Description: Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a nonprofit that cures patients battling blood cancer and other life-threatening diseases by providing donors for bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants. Established in 1991 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, the organization operates a 32,000 square foot facility housing its donor registry, apheresis collection facility and cellular therapy laboratory.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Social Change Maker of the Year - Race

Nomination Title: Evie Goldfine

During her 16-year involvement with Gift of Life, Evie learned that racial and ethnic minority groups have low representation in the worldwide bone marrow registry, resulting in patients with blood diseases being unable to find lifesaving matches.

Evie has helped to create many initiatives to assist the registry in democratizing cellular therapy to save lives by raising awareness and encouraging participation. Working closely with Gift of Life, her efforts have focused on addressing some of the biggest challenges the registry faces: the need to impact the knowledge, education and culture of minority groups in order to eliminate disparities for patients with blood cancers and genetic disorders such as sickle cell.

Last spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world, Evie and Gift of Life understood that we were once again faced with the inequities that permeate healthcare, resulting in unequal outcomes for people of color, and decided to take action. With Evie’s support, the organization launched a new campaign, Blood is Thicker, to educate people on the issues.

To lead the conversation on healthcare disparities, even those beyond our mission to find a cure for people with blood diseases, Evie supported and funded a series of virtual town halls, while bringing the NAACP onboard to participate and spread the message.

This effort synergized with the launch of a short film that Evie commissioned, also titled “Blood is Thicker,” and an accompanying website to further educate and inspire minority communities to join in the effort to save lives.

Evie’s Goldfine’s story began in July 2000 when she was diagnosed with aggressive stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Following intense treatments, Evie was declared in remission, but then relapsed in April 2005.She knew immediately that she would need a transplant to save her life, which she fiercely hoped would happen for the sake of her young children. Fortunately for Evie, her donor, Yisrael, had joined the Gift of Life Marrow Registry in 2003 during a search campaign for another patient.He readily stepped up to donate the blood stem cells that Evie needed to survive.

Evie’s life was saved and she marveled at the fact that her donor’s extraordinary gift had not only impacted her, but also her family and community. Knowing that patients looking for a blood stem cell or bone marrow donor are searching for a needle in a haystack, she reflected on how many other blood cancer patients, also with families and communities that rely on them, were not as fortunate as she was. And, upon learning that patients who were ethnically and racially diverse had an even harder time finding matches, she decided to make a difference by becoming a supporter of Gift of Life.

Evie’s tremendous support in the development and execution of the Blood is Thicker campaign has greatly increased Gift of Life’s ability to diversify the registry and save the lives of those who are most marginalized. While the campaign is ongoing, key achievements to-date have included:

The Virtual Town Halls, which consisted of a female-majority panel of subject matter experts, resulted in partnerships with leading healthcare professionals and influencers who are helping Gift of Life educate minority communities

Blood is Thicker campaign messaging was shared by Walmart with 1.5 million associates across internal and external channels, reaching many people in our key donor demographic

The campaign reached nearly one million Gift of Life fans and supporters through Gift of Life’s database and owned social channels

The campaign was shared by production and creative partners, the Mill and the Lucy Collective, for a combined reach of 300,000 fans and a wider community of influencers.

The campaign was supported by the NAACP's Youth Work groups and viewed by thousands of college students who also pushed the messaging to their peers.

The Virtual Town Halls elicited support from celebrities (e.g. former NBA player Walter Bond) and was directly responsible in corporate partnerships that have led to the addition of new donors in the registry.

The Blood is Thicker short film and campaign message were viewed by millions during three live esports streaming tournaments, resulting in new registrations from gaming communities.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials

The Blood is Thicker campaign website and short film: Terrell - Blood is Thicker (giftoflife.org) https://terrell.giftoflife.org/

An example from one of our six Virtual Town Hall events on healthcare disparities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ww81VB3rc&;t=1094s

Danielle Belton, editor-in-chief of HuffPost moderated and promoted the Virtual Town Halls (see attachment)

Launched the Blood is Thicker film and campaign nationally through a media distribution that drove widespread buzz: https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3mfwr5eoma5mxk/Blood%20is%20thicker%20media-coverage%20example.pdf?dl=0

The Blood is Thicker film debuted live at our Virtual Town Hall series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRLzZtYfFtg&;t=235s

The campaign and short film secured participation from Walmart (see uploaded image)

The campaign was featured on Gift of Life’s owned social media channels and through an email distribution to constituents (see attached)

Gift of Life’s corporate partners, including Rubius Therapeutics promoted involvement in the Town Halls (see attachment)

Rural health expert Dr. Kimberly Carr participates in Blood is Thicker campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8cQYg_doZE

Kyra Mitchell, NAACP National Youth Work Committee Chair and Gift of Life partner supports campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5DaGOB5Nt0

The campaign esports partner Misfits Gaming/Florida Mayhem to drive viewership and engagement with gamers (see uploaded image)