Autumn 2009

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COLBY FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER

FOUNDATION NEWS:

OUR MISSION IN ACTION:  RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH THE COLBY CASSANI ENDOWED LECTURESHIP SERIES

Big Announcement:  The Colby Foundation is committed to educating today’s medical students on all aspects of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.  We do this through awarding schools of medicine an endowment for adding organ and tissue donation education to their medical students’ curriculum.  We are pleased to announce that two new schools have just been awarded this endowment.   Lincoln Memorial University -  DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine and  Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences - College of Osteopathic Medicine.

LMU-DCOM opened its doors in 2007 as both Tennessee’s newest medical school and only osteopathic medical school.  Located in Harrogate, Tennessee, its main mission is to serve the underserved of rural Appalachia with educational opportunities.  PNWU-COM opened its doors in 2008 with an emphasis on primary care and will graduate 75 new physicians each year, beginning in 2012. Located in Yakima, Washington, the  medical school  is devoted to training future doctors who will serve the needs of those living in the non-urban communities and rural areas of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.  We are pleased to welcome these two new schools to the Colby Cassani Endowed Lectureship Series.

Sustainability:  As with all organizations, we are looking at our financials and are constantly evaluating what is best for our organization.  We have received feedback from schools that are currently receiving the endowment as well as consulted with other professionals in the field.  Going forward, we will be moving our financial endowment to a biennial award although the schools will continue to do annual events.  Student groups at schools receiving our endowment have made our mission their own!  Not only are they attending the lectureship, but they are also sponsoring events where they can raise awareness with the public and raise additional funds to ensure the perpetuity of the endowment.  We are humbled by and proud of the partnership these students have formed in taking our organ and tissue donation message forward long term.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES - SUPPORTING OUR MISSION - DATES TO REMEMBER

November is National Marrow Awareness Month! To learn more and to consider saving lives by becoming a bone marrow, blood stem cell, and umbilical cord blood donor, click here

November 13 -15 was National Donor Sabbath: Faith leaders can participate in services and programs to increase awareness of donation and transplantation and the critical need for donors. Donation is viewed by most religions as an act of compassion and generosity. As part of the season of giving, each year, temples, churches, mosques, and other places of worship observe the National Donor Sabbath in their own ways two weekends before Thanksgiving. Click here to learn more about Donor Sabbath and to find out how you might bring this to your faith community next year.

November 26th  - We will kick off our annual Fall Fundraiser.  Please consider giving to the Colby Foundation as part of your annual giving. On November 26th the fundraising thermometer here on our website will be reset with our fundraising goal.  With your help, this year we hope to raise $8,000.  You can make a contribution securely right here.  Please note that 100% of your gift goes to our endowment fund.  Thank you for your help and support!

INTRODUCING RALPH - A STORY OF HOPE IN WAITING

The Yankee win of the World Series was a sweet victory for Ralph and whether you are a fan of them or not you cannot begrudge him for a moment.  Ralph has been a devoted fan.  After retiring 4 years ago, this hard-working New Yorker was ready to focus on the “fun stuff”, like spending time with his wife, Cathy; seeing more Yankee games and spoiling his two grandsons.  However, time came to have a whole different meaning when Ralph learned that he had leukemia.  Ralph received chemotherapy, and did go into remission, but unfortunately it was short-lived.  He has completed a T-cell infusion and more chemotherapy, but little ground has been gained. 

With his options narrowing, his doctors searched the Be The Match Registry for a suitable marrow or cord blood match, but none was found.  Four months later a match still has not been identified for Ralph.  “I have lived a good life and I don’t have any complaints; but I am not ready to leave my family yet,” says Ralph.

Thousands of patients, like Ralph, need an unrelated bone marrow transplant.  While many patients find a match and receive the treatment they need, there is a huge need for more people to join the Be The Match Registry.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing is used to match patients and donors for marrow or cord blood transplants.  Because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match the tissue type of someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage.

Becoming a potential marrow donor can seem daunting, but it is easier than you can imagine.  You can join the Be The Match Registry by taking just a few simple steps, if you are between the ages of 18 and 60 years old and meet the health guidelines.  Remember that when you sign up for the Be The Match Registry, you are making a statement that you are willing to help any patient in need.  After some information gathering, all you do is give a swab of cheek cells to be tissue-typed.  This is what will be used to match you to patients in need.

That is all that’s needed to take the first step to help someone who is waiting for this life-saving treatment.  It is a marrow donation opportunity where both the donor and the recipient are living…it is a gift of life and for people like Ralph…a gift of time!

Click here to join the Be The Match registry

For more stories of hope, please visit our Stories of Hope page

A REMINDER ABOUT GOOD SEARCH:  SEARCHING THE NET SUPPORTS THE COLBY FOUNDATION...IT REALLY DOES!

To those of you who have already begun using GoodSearch as your search engine...we THANK YOU for your support!  For those who have not yet made the switch, we hope you will consider it because the Colby Foundation earns a penny every time you use GoodSearch to search the internet. 

How does that work?  GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations to the Colby Foundation add up!

To learn more, just use the GoodSearch icon (top right of this page) or go to www.goodsearch.com and please spread the word.  We appreciate it! 

THE COLBY FOUNDATION WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.  HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN TOUCHED BY ORGAN DONATION?  PLEASE CONTACT US!