1. Page16 / the Drop - ADRP’s Quarterly NewsletterWinter 2008
by DeLisa S. Dawkins, BHS, CLS
Manager, Diversity Outreach
and Education
The Blood Connection
Ethnic recruitment strategies have
long been a subject of discussion for
our industry. The question has always
remained: “How?” How do we inspire
ethnic people to donate blood to the
community? “How do we get their
attention?” “How do we reach out
effectively?” “How do we encourage
them?” We believe a diversity council
in your community can help provide
the answers to these questions.
Priscilla Ketter is a local donor who
has a personal interest in promoting
the need for African American blood
donations. Her daughter Precious died
from complications of a stem cell
transplant. She had become a
candidate for a transplant due to sickle
cell disease and received numerous
blood transfusions during her lifetime.
Because she had developed multiple
antibodies, it was often difficult to
locate a compatible donor — despite
the number of African Americans
residing in the Greenville area.
Priscilla worked tirelessly to promote
the importance of donating, if not for
her child then perhaps for another.
Her well-known plight was a constant
struggle, and many believe it was the
catalyst The Blood Connection (TBC)
needed to assemble a group that
would promote African American
blood donations in the community.
Taking Action
In 2002, TBC decided to take a
proactive approach to the issue.
According to the 2000 census, our
area experienced steady growth,
increasing the number of potential
donors. The African-American
population was considered to be the
primary target for the initiative.
African Americans make up 20
percent of the population within our
service area of upstate South Carolina;
however, only 7.5 percent donate
blood. Leaders within the African-
American community were summoned
to discuss the importance of minority
blood donations in the area. We knew
the population was not donating, but
we also knew we were not taking the
appropriate steps to attract them to the
blood donation process. After much
discussion, it was decided TBC would
officially establish a diversity council
to address this need.
The Council Today
The council consists of local
citizens from various professional and
service organizations within the
Greater Greenville area who volunteer
their time to promote and encourage
blood donation through education and
awareness. The council consists of:
Members of clergy
Business professionals
Educators
Healthcare professionals
Local government officials
Local citizens
The Blood
Connection
Diversity
Council:
FiveYears Later,
FiveYears Stronger
Attend Delisa’s session at the
2008 ADRP Conference to hear
more ideas on minority
recruitment.

2. the Drop - ADRP’s Quarterly Newsletter Winter 2008 / Page 17
The TBC council focuses on initiatives
such as:
Generating ideas to enhance blood
drives
Providing opportunities for new blood
drives
Providing education and awareness to
increase the number of “first-time”
donors
Recruitment activities to increase the
retention of African American donors
Developing and distributing
promotional materials
Our Goals
During its inaugural year, the council
set two simple goals:
To increase the number of blood
drives sponsored by African American
organizations
To recruit 300 new donors
Through education and outreach
efforts, the TBC council managed to
exceed its goal by encouraging over
1,000 African Americans to become new
blood donors. Council members have
taught others who were willing to listen.
To celebrate the success of their hard
work, they created and designed the
council logo and slogan. The slogan and
logo were introduced during Martin
Luther King, Jr., Holiday Weekend, 2006.
Slogan:
Diversify the
Blood Supply
(Logo to Left)
The conjoined “O”s in center represent
blood drops: one is the inverse of the
other. In between there is a flowing wave
that indicates the life-sustaining power of
blood given by donors (the solid red
drop) flowing to patients (the inverted,
red-outlined drop). The colored rings that
encircle the blood drops represent the
African American community’s
commitment to embrace this activity for
the lives of others.
The slogan, “Diversify the Blood
Supply” summarizes our mission as a
united group in the
community. The logo
and slogan were used
to develop creative
marketing materials.
It was placed on T-
shirts for donors to
connect them to
the purpose. The
slogan was
used heavily in
urban radio
promotions.
The “catchy”
phrase was
easy for others
to understand
and easy to
remember. We
knew we were
making
progress when
organizations
began to
contact TBC
to schedule regular blood drives.
Five years later and five years
stronger, the council continues to
strive to “Diversify the Blood
Supply” through education and
awareness. The Blood Connection
Diversity Council has
approximately 30 members led by
Angela Gaines. Priscilla Ketter,
now a TBC employee, and I serve
as advisors.
TBC has established a
commitment to diversity in a
unique fashion. We take pride in
accepting the challenge of
minority recruitment campaigns
through a continuous presence in
the African American culture. This
journey has not been easy, nor is it
for the faint at heart. The
difference is the consistency of the
message combined with the spirit
of the people and the constant
support of management has made
this council as strong as it is today.
Now that African Americans
have become more actively
involved in blood donation, the
council is viewed as a positive
force in Greenville County. Currently
in its fifth year, TBC has decided to
expand the campaign to include all the
counties within our service area. This
phase of the initiative also includes
the development of a Hispanic /
Latino council for the Greenville area.
The Blood Connection provides 100
percent of the volunteer blood supply
to all hospitals in Greenville,
Greenwood, Pickens, Oconee,
Laurens, Newberry Counties in SC,
and Stephens County in GA. The
Blood Connection has centers in four
upstate counties and has an average of
five blood drives every day collecting
over 85,000 blood units each year. It
serves as the connection between
volunteer blood donors, hospitals, and
patients needing lifesaving
transfusions.
In the past, African Americans have
shunned blood donation primarily
because of fear. TBC has made it
possible for our community to
embrace this activity.
In the past,African Americans have
shunned blood donation primarily because
of fear.TBC has made it possible for our
community to embrace this activity.