From now until the end of the year, TRU, along with over a hundred other Canadian post-secondary institutions, will be competing in a unique competition for the Canadian Blood Services’ Fall Get Together campaign. The effort encourages college students to contribute to the non-profit via blood or plasma donations.
Canadian Blood Services is an organization dedicated to providing safe and reliable access to products and services necessary for the care and treatment of patients across Canada. That is, it is responsible for providing blood, stem cell, tissue and organ components for transfusion and transplantation, as well as the management of plasma protein and related products used for a plethora of medical conditions.
Over the 27 years since its inception, the charity has made significant strides in its role as the national blood authority, improving blood and blood product supply nationwide and ensuring the best possible outcomes for all patients.
Canada’s Biological Lifeline (as they dubbed themselves in their latest strategic plan) performed several outreach and awareness-building campaigns to encourage participation and donations from everyday Canadians. It has collaborated with patient groups, care providers, health system leaders, community donors, and other blood service organizations and governments to achieve their goals.
This year, Canada Blood Services hopes to bring a new generation of donors into the fold. With the onset of the latest campaign, the charity seems to recognize the potential of college students in their mission for a more involved and patient-friendly nation. Fall Get Together is a friendly competition open to all legal residents across Canada, with the exception of Quebec, who have reached the age of majority in their province, are enrolled in a post-secondary institution in Canada and will remain enrolled until the contest ends on Dec. 31.
Individuals who join their post-secondary school’s Partners for Life (PFL) team, book an appointment and show up within the contest period as part of their PFL team will be eligible for a chance to win prizes. Importantly, the website states that a successful donation is not required to participate in the prize draw; all one needs to do, at the very least, is attend the appointment. Each student’s attendance will count just once towards the institution’s position.
The friendly competition aims to foster a sense of camaraderie and community among students within each post-secondary institution, thereby encouraging a higher rate of blood donation. Their campaign video, posted on their Instagram, features a group of college-aged friends at a picnic, playing pool and having a fun night out at a karaoke bar, their blood donation armbands visible throughout. The message suggests that donating blood is not only a good deed, but also a fun way to bond with friends.
If that isn’t convincing enough, Fall Get Together is awarding institutions with the highest donor point average (DPA) with limited-edition donor hoodies each worth $95 and an invite to a special Friendsgiving banquet, valued at $25. The DPA, calculated as the percentage of team members attending an appointment during the contest period, will be updated daily on a top-ten leaderboard for those interested in tracking progress. Only participants in the competition (that is, those who attended their appointments) will be eligible for prizes.
Whether the Canadian Blood Services’ goals to attract a younger generation of donors will work is still up in the air, but the incentives and outreach efforts may just be the push it needs. Several post-secondary institutions have already jumped into action, including our own. The hope is that this joins the growing list of annual traditions at TRU and other universities across the country.
To join TRU’s Partners for Life team and stand a chance to win some great prizes, you can visit their website here.