The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is a volunteer organization that relies on the support of the community to help bone marrow transplant patients. Here are a few different ways you can help:

Join the Bone Marrow Registry
Naturallly, one of the best ways you can help bone marrow transplant patients is by adding your name to the list of people willing to donate bone marrow by joining the bone marrow registry in your country.

Volunteer
The work we do requires many helping hands. Here are some things we are always looking for help with:

Work at our booth at community events, health fairs and conferences

Help organize fundraising events

Help prepare brochures

Help write articles for our web site

Speak to community groups to educate about donating bone marrow

Graphic design for brochures, posters and our web site

Join our board of directors - an excellent resume building opportunity

Come to our Monthly Meeting
If you live in the Windsor area, we have a monthly meeting that is open to the public. Attending this meeting is a great way to find out more about the wonderful things we are working on. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm at the CAW Local 1973 Hall located at 3719 Walker Road in Windsor, Ontario. Note, we do not meet in the months of July, August or December.

Pass out Cards and Brochures in your Community
Help us spread the word about the bone marrow registry by passing out cards and brochures in your community. To have some cards and brochures mailed to you, phone 519-564-4119 or e-mail us at info@givemarrow.net

Donate Blood
We are very proud that the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association is a member of the Canadian Blood Services 'Partners for Life' Program.

Partners for Life is a nationwide program that is designed for corporate and community organizations. By joining the program,our organization made a commitment to save lives by donating blood as a team. The need for blood is ongoing, and patients that are treated for such things as leukemia, surgery, other cancers, and trauma depend on a stable supply of blood year round, which is why Partners for Life organizations have the power to save lives!

Patients that undergo a bone marrow transplant need a large number of blood transfusions both before and after their transplant as well as during their initial treatment. Including their pre-transplant treatement, it is not uncommon for a transplant patient to need over 100 transfusions. These patients cannot survive without the support of blood donors in their community. We feel this is another excellent way to help patients faced with a bone marrow transplant.

The KBBMA has pledged to donate 100 units of blood in 2009. If you would like to help us achieve or surpass our pledge please contact us at info@givemarrow.net for more information. To have your blood donations counted towards our goal, please email us at partners@givemarrow.net or call
(519) 564-4119.

If your company or community group is interested in joining Partners for Life as well, please visit the Canadian Blood Services web site for more information.

Make a Donation
Our awareness activities, our family support program and our research sponsorship program are all funded exclusively through generous donations by individuals and corporations.

Third Party Fundraisers
You can help the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association when you shop with Melaleuca: The Wellness Company. Learn how by contacting Jackie Leardi at (519) 736-1786 or jackie@truewellnessathome.com.

Swab Events

To date, Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association has registered hundreds of potential donors and look forward to registering many more in the hopes of saving lives. Already our potential donors are being called to say that they might be the one match! This is very exciting for us!

If your school or organization is interested in hosting a Swab Event please contact us. As well, we need volunteers who are interested in being trained to participate in these events. If you can donate a few hours of your time or need to complete several hours of community service, please contact us. We look forward to working with you.

Get involved today! For more information, contact us at info@givemarrow.net.