America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and GLAAD, the largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization worldwide, have officially announced the “Summer of Giving” initiative publicly. In the May 22nd “Summer of Giving” campaign news release, the organizations described the campaign as, “[an] initiative [that] aims to encourage businesses to host blood drives and all eligible individuals to donate blood in support of recent [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] (FDA) eligibility changes that promote fairness and inclusivity in the donation process while maintaining the safety of the blood supply. The “Summer of Giving” campaign will run from Tuesday, May 28th through National Blood Donation Day on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024, in recognition of the critical need for blood donations during the summer months. Despite the ongoing demand for blood products, donations typically decline during this period due to travel and the lack of school-based blood drives.”
GLAAD President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sarah Kate Ellis stated in the news release, “[t]he ‘Summer of Giving’ campaign is a celebration of the LGBTQ community and decades of work to remove the stigma too many potential donors have endured. Removing discriminatory barriers and following facts and science will ease the critical national blood shortage. LGBTQ donors should be treated the same as any other donor when they walk into their local blood donation center. This campaign sends a long-needed message that LGBTQ people are welcome and can generously contribute to their communities to help save lives.” ABC CEO Kate Fry, MBA, CAE added in the news release, “ABC is proud to team up with GLAAD to promote the facts about this new change in blood donor eligibility, which prioritizes the safety of the blood supply while bringing more equality to the donation process. The ‘Summer of Giving’ campaign is a unique opportunity for individuals and businesses to donate blood and host blood drives in support of a new era of blood donor eligibility. Together, we can help save lives during a time of critical need for the blood community.”
ABC members have access to several resources to promote the “Summer of Giving” campaign including a “Summer of Giving” Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document, “Summer of Giving” One Pager, “Summer of Giving” Postcard to FDA encouraging the agency to continue updating eligibility criteria based on scientific evidence in order to broaden the pool of potential blood donors, “Summer of Giving” Logo, Summer of Giving Public Service Announcement (PSA), and “Summer of Giving” Video and Audio Files. (**Please note if you are an ABC member blood center and would like individual copies of the video and audio files, please contact us.**)
ABC member blood centers may reach out to us for more information or with questions about the “Summer of Giving” initiative.