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How might we increase the number of registered bone marrow donors to help save more lives? Read the challenge brief

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Tap into the Influence of Spiritual Leaders

We all know donating bone marrows saves lives, simple as that. No spiritual leaders and faith organizations can deny the importance of a great cause such as saving lives. How can we provide the right resources to spiritual leaders and faith organizations who often have great influence over their congregation, so they can can effectively partner with bone marrow agencies to increase the bone marrow registries?
Our pastor has just started a prayer movement in New York City, to call for all believers to meet with each other, two, three, or more every Wednesday for an hour to pray for the city. It started in our 5 neighborhood churches, and then more churches joined in. Thousands of people now meet at different places throughout the city every Wednesday to pray.


What if we ask pastors, rabbis and spiritual leaders of all kinds to start a movement in their circles to call for people to sign up for bone marrow registry and make a commitment to save lives? Diverse population can be reached through various religion/culture organizations.


For example, As Christians, we have Sunday service every week. Pastors can call their congregation to join the bone marrow registries during sermon time (Step 1), followed by having physical stations available after the service for people to get information, and also swap a cheek if they are ready (Step 2). We can continue to raise awareness by adding an item - "more info on Bone Marrow Registration" in the regular Connection Card used to connect new comers (Step 3), and publish information / links on the church website where people can find more information and get connected to the bone marrow agency and register (Step 4).


The slide attached illustrate the suggested approach. Also, I have included maps of church distribution in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Detroit. If every church on the map get involved in this moment, imagine how great the impact could be!


P.S: I have emailed my pastor recently and he is up for it! What we need to do is to plan it out and find the best way to implement it. Depending on the timing, hopefully there will be opportunities to report back the results!

Which barrier(s) does your concept address?

  1. Fear
  2. Misunderstanding
  3. Time
  4. Feeling rushed
  5. Cultural beliefs

Which step(s) of the journey does your concept apply to?

  1. Awareness
  2. Registration
  3. Donation
  4. Spread the word

Evaluation Results

1

How easy is this concept to implement?

I could start right now.
This might take a bit of planning and probably some help from several partners.
This is a big undertaking and I'd need a lot of help from friends, organizations and other groups to make it happen.
2

Will this concept successfully reach and encourage under-represented populations (including South Asians) to join the bone marrow registry?

Yes, this concept will resonate with diverse groups of people from all over the world.
No, this concept might not reach under-represented populations very well.
I'm not sure, but I hope so!
3

How well does this concept dispel myths, ease fears, or provide education about bone marrow registration and donation?

Really well -- I already feel like I have a better understanding of the process and why it's important.
Okay, though it'll still take some explaining to get people to understand how bone marrow registration and donation work.
Not very well -- we'd have to create a highly detailed plan around this concept to help people understand.
4

How scalable is this concept?

This concept is highly scalable and could easily impact people all over the world.
This concept is really best suited for small groups and local areas.
This concept could be scaled, but we'd have to refine it for different settings.

Comments

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Arjan Tupan

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April 07, 2011, 06:41PM
Great thinking Chloe! There will always, in every religion, be fundamentalistic extremists that find this ungodly, but I think most will find this a very valuable concept. And it plays very well to the community role spiritual leaders fulfill. I myself might not be a religious person, but I greatly value spiritual leaders that take responsibility for their flocks. And I love that you not only put this concept up on this platform, but also put it into practice by going to your pastor with it. Applause and respect!
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Chloe Tseung's reply to Arjan Tupan's comment

Chloe Tseung

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April 23, 2011, 06:10PM
Arjan, thank you! And congrats to your great concept too on Be The International Match!
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Mohammad Aghaya

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April 14, 2011, 11:14AM
Great concept Chloe,

There is verse in Quran that says:
.... whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. .... 5:32

As you mentioned religious leaders can support this movement and as much as I know, most of religions encouraging saving lives. It's very proper and nice idea to link this human-saving social activity to deep religious thinking and living.
 
 
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Chloe Tseung's reply to Arjan Tupan's comment

Chloe Tseung

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April 23, 2011, 06:08PM
Mohammad, thank you so much for your comment and sharing. And thanks for your great inspiration that sparks me on this concept! :)
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edna aphek

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April 19, 2011, 10:32PM
This idea is of great value, as religious leaders have great power and could motivate many followers.
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Adam Vaught

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April 15, 2011, 03:08AM
Great idea this is targeting exactly the type of market that would want to be part of the solution. Bring the the stations to the actual places of worship would eliminate one of the biggest barriers to being tested. Lots of potential here if religious institutions are open to the idea.
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Jung Fitzpatrick

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April 14, 2011, 05:49AM
Chloe, excellent concept. I love the grass roots approach--it really leverages the power of community and trusted relationships to raise awareness and recruit volunteers from diverse groups everywhere. As your maps show, churches are ubiquitous! Another aspect I like about your concept is that spiritual communities provide a built-in support network for a volunteer who is actually called in to donate! Well done.
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Louise Wilson

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April 09, 2011, 06:12PM
Agree with your comments, Vincent. I often forget how powerful religion is, especially when you reach out to all religions - a leading by example method would work really well.
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Vincent Cheng

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April 08, 2011, 07:51AM
Religion is a powerful motivating force that spans across diverse communities. You've really moved things forward by mapping out the details and then actually approaching your pastor about implementation!
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