I’m On the List Training Kit

“I’m on the List”

We would like to thank you for donating your time and energy!

Thank you for donating your time and energy to conduct bone marrow drives for DKMS Americas and the Love Hope Strength Foundation.  Your efforts to locate bone marrow donors have helped LHS enter over 10,000 people into the national bone marrow database and find 80 potential matches.  All of this is made possible through volunteers like you.

In this package you will find:

-A step-by-step process of how to setup and conduct a Love Hope Strength Bone Marrow Drive
-Information on the history of the Love Hope Strength Foundation and DKMS
-Talking points
-Information on what will happen if someone is a match
-A training video
-Shipping information

If you have any questions regarding this package or a drive, please contact  volunteers@lovehopestrength.org

Please learn more about our upcoming events and concerts by clicking here.

Truly,

The Love Hope Strength Crew

Bone Marrow Drive Setup

Though numerous drives, we have found that a properly setup drive is more efficient and functional.  It is best to have a plan as to where specific supplies will be placed and which volunteers will perform the different tasks.

Here is a list of supplies you will receive:

  • DKMS
    • Pens
    • Registration Forms
    • Cotton Swabs
    • Swab Boxes
    • Water Cups
    • Eligibility Requirements Signage
    • Confidentiality & Nondisclosure Agreement
    • DKMS Drive Folders
  • LHS
    • Drive Items:
      • (1) Table Cloth
      • (4) Clip Boards
      • LHS Signage
      • (1) LHS Donation Form (retain original copy, make copies to use at each drive)
    • Give Away Items:
      • (50) LHS Temporary Tattoos
      • (50) Free Decal Cards
      • (50) Free Tattoo Fliers
  • Venue
    • Table
    • Chairs
    • Drinking Water (3-4 bottles or a pitcher of water is sufficient)
    • Electrical Hookup (if needed)
  • Not Included
    • Donation Jar
    • Sharpies (for prayer flags, if applicable)

Supply Images

P2080014

Clip Board, Pen and Registration Form

P2080009

Cotton Swabs

P2080018

Swab Box

P2080022

Water Cup

P2080030

LHS Temporary Tattoo

P2090007

Free Decal Card

Volunteer Duties and Locations:

Booth Recruiters- The Booth Recruiters are stationed in front and/or on the sides of the booth.  Their job is to engage people passing by and direct them to the registration table.  These people need to be friendly and personable and must be knowledgeable about the foundation and the bone marrow drive process/statistics.

Drive Instructors- The Drive Instructors are located behind the registration table.  There will be a Drive Instructor A and B.  Their responsibilities include guiding applicants through registration, double checking eligibility, witnessing the registration forms and informing applicants about the foundation and bone marrow donation process.


Drive Diagram

Drive Diagram


Volunteer Training

Properly trained volunteers are crucial to running a successful drive.  It is important for everyone involved in the drive to be familiar with, not only the drive process, but also the Love Hope Strength Foundation and DKMS Americas.  We do not expect people to know everything about LHS, DKMS and the drive process after one training session so it is also important that they know it’s ok to tell potential applicants they don’t know but they will find out.  Here is the layout of how the training process will work.

Training Process:

  • Whenever possible, the training session should happen at least a day before the actual event.  If not possible, allow 1 hour to train before the event.
  • Volunteers should wear Love Hope Strength t-shirts (discounts available), or black t-shirts with LHS stickers or pins.
  • Everyone must read and sign the DKMS Americas Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement.
  • Supply everyone with copies of all informational handouts and drive supplies.
  • Read through the handouts and allow people to ask questions and discuss.
    • If possible, supply handouts at least a day in advance to allow ample time to read.
  • Give a full demonstration of how the drive process will work.
    • If possible, play the demonstration video for them.
    • Each volunteer should fill out a form and go through the entire drive so they have first hand experience.
    • If they are not eligible to be a donor, or do not wish to be, they can destroy their applications and swabs.
  • Allow for questions and discussions.


Bone Marrow Drive Process

The Booth Recruiters (BR) will typically be the first point of contact for the potential applicants.  After a brief explanation about LHS and the bone marrow drive the BR will answer any questions that the potential applicants have.  If they are interested, the applicants will be directed to the registration table.

The applicants will approach the right side of the registration table.  First, Drive Instructor “A” (DI“A”) will have them read through the eligibility requirements.  If qualified, they will be handed a clipboard that contains a registration form and pen.  The applicant will be informed of the following before they are allowed to fill out the form:

  • The driver’s license number and social security number are encouraged but optional and are only used to locate the applicant if they are a match and can’t be found otherwise.
  • Ethnicity and ancestry should be filled out to the best of their knowledge (check all that apply).
  • Employer information is NOT required but is encouraged.
  • Applicants must provide a contact person and whatever info they have for that person or DKMS will not put them into the database (the contact person will never be contacted unless the applicant is a match and can’t be found otherwise).
  • Donations are not required but if they would like to make a donation to DKMS Americas, they are strongly encouraged to do so.  It cost DKMS Americas $65 to run all of the tests needed to enter someone into the database and they rely on donations to do this.  If they would like to make a donation to the Love Hope Strength Foundation, make checks out to the Love Hope Strength Foundation (upon receiving a donation, the applicant must fill out the LHS Donation Form).  Funds donated to LHS help us run more drives around the United States.
  • Finally, the applicant must sign and date the form.

Once the applicant has completed the form, they will bring it back to the DI“A” who will double check that all information has been provided and is legible.  Once the form is completed to the DI’s satisfactory, make sure the drive code is in the upper right corner and then DI“A” will witness the form (witnessing the form says that you have read through the form and the form is complete and correct).  After witnessing, the bottom copy of the form (the pink copy) is torn off and given to the applicant to keep for their records.  The applicant’s donor number is located below the barcodes and they will receive a donor card in the mail in 2-3months.  This document contains sensitive personal information and if they wish to discard it, it should be destroyed before doing so.

The next step is the cheek swab, which will be conducted by the Drive Instructor “B” (DI“B”).  The applicant will be handed a small cup of water and instructed to swish with the water and swallow.  Then, they will be handed the unopened swab package and told to rub both swabs on the inside of both cheeks for 10-15 seconds.  While the applicant is swabbing their cheeks, the DI“B” will assemble the Swab Box and place the bar code from the registration form on that box.  The applicant will then place the swabs in the Swab Box and seal it.  The completed form and swab box (with swabs and bar code) will be placed in the designated location.  We recommend bringing along a separate box, with a lid, to store the swabs and registration forms. ****Remember that the forms are confidential and should NOT be placed in open view, on the table, or in an area where wind can blow them away.


Frequently asked Questions

1. Q:  What is a bone marrow transplant?

A:  This is a life-saving treatment for people with Leukemia, Myeloma, Lymphoma and other diseases such as A-plastic and Sickle Cell Anemia’s. First, patients may undergo chemotherapy or radiation to destroy their diseased marrow. Then, a donor’s healthy blood-forming cells are given directly into the patient’s bloodstream, where they can begin to function and multiply. For a patient’s body to accept these healthy cells, the patient needs a donor who is a close match.

2. Q:  How does someone donate bone marrow?

A:  There are 2 different procedures that the recipient’s doctor will choose from

  • The 1st, and most common, is a procedure where the donor goes into their local medical center and receives an injection for 4 days in a row.  These injections pull stem cells from the bone and into the blood.  On the 5th day, the donor goes through a procedure similar to a blood transfusion.  Blood is drawn from one arm, the stem cells are pulled from the blood and then the blood is put back in the other arm.  This procedure takes about half a day and is as uncomfortable as giving blood or platelets. Most donors complain of flu like aches and pains.
  • In the 2nd procedure, marrow cells are collected from the backside of the pelvic bone using a special syringe. Prior to having this outpatient surgical procedure, donors receive local or general anesthesia so no pain is experienced during the marrow extraction. In the following days, donors can expect to feel a little discomfort in their lower back and may experience side effects from the anesthesia. This is a 1-2 hour, outpatient, surgical procedure. The donor is discharged from the hospital.

3. Q:  How do I become a donor?

A:  First step is to register with DKMS through LHS.  LHS sends all the information to DKMS. Donors are placed in the national Be The Match Registry. This is searched by Doctors around the world. If you are a match you will be contacted and proceed from there. The donor must be between the ages of 18 and 55 who meet the medical eligibility guidelines and who are willing to donate to any patient in need.

4. Q:  Don’t they drill into your bone?

A:  This procedure is no longer used.

5. Q:  Does donating bone marrow hurt?  Are there side effects?

A:  See question #2

6. Q:  Can I change my mind about donating?

A:  Donating is always voluntary. You have the right to change your mind about being a donor at any time. If you decide you do not want to donate or be listed as a registered bone marrow donor, it is critical that you notify DKMS so they can continue to search for another donor without dangerous- even life-threatening- delays for the patient.

7. Q:  Is my information on the form kept private?

A:  All information that is given by the donor is directly entered into the DKMS database. The information is not shared or sold to any other companies.

(Please refer to the DKMS folder labeled “Information Table” for more information on this.)


Love Hope Strength Foundation Background

What is our mission?

LHSF is an international, music-centric cancer charity dedicated to providing support for cancer centers, and inspiration to those affected, throughout the world. The mission is to save lives, right now, with the advances that have already been made in cancer care. We do not fund cancer research, rather we use our funds to purchase medical equipment and supplies, raise awareness through special events, documentaries and media, build cancer centers and find bone marrow donors.

Why is this our mission?

By 2010 cancer will be the world’s #1 killer and will touch each and every one of us in our lifetime. It is a global issue in need of support from a worldwide network.  In 2007, LHSF was co-founded by leukemia survivors Mike Peters of the Welsh rock band The Alarm and President of CSI Entertainment James Chippendale who believe that awareness, early detection and proper treatment should not be a luxury and wanted to find a way to ensure that all people have access to the same resources that saved their lives.

How do we accomplish our mission?

LHS has made an amazing amount of progress in just 2 years such as purchasing the very first mammography machine for the country of Nepal, funding a new wing for a cancer care center in Wales and creating an army of LHS volunteers who perform amazing acts of kindness and generosity in their communities

  • LHS has performed concerts on 6 continents in 2 years
  • LHS led musical pilgrimages to remote venues such as the base camp of Everest, The Empire State Building, the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, and the glaciers of Kilimanjaro
  • LHS teams up with DKMS to expand our reach by conducting bone marrow drives at the largest music festivals in the United States
  • The LHS Army are musicians, High school bands and Nepalese folk singers, to legends in rock n’ roll such as members of The Cult, The Stray Cats, Gin Blossoms, The Fixx, Tokyo Police Club, Squeeze, Candlebox, Seether, Smithereens, Dick Dale, Everclear and many more
  • Holding events such as Kilimanjaro Rocks, Pikes Peaks Rocks and LA Rocks. You can see the website for all events. www.lovehopestrength.org

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

You are already doing it. By holding Bone Marrow Drives and continuing to spread the word about Love Hope Strength

(For more information on this, please visit www.lovehopestrength.org/mission/)


DKMS Background

WHAT IS THE DKMS MISSION?

The DKMS mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. More than 19,000 DKMS donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. DKMS is the largest and most experienced bone marrow donor center in the world with over 2 million registered. However, there are still thousands of patients who cannot find their donor match. DKMS will continue to recruit bone marrow donors until every patient gets a second chance at life.

WHO IS DKMS?

  • DKMS Americas is an accredited (by the Be The Match Registry) national bone marrow donor center.
  • DKMS works to expand bone marrow donor registries by recruiting bone marrow donors from every race and ethnicity, in order to provide leukemia and other blood cancer patients in need of a bone marrow transplant with the best available donor match.
  • DKMS also coordinates the transport of bone marrow and blood stem cells from Germany to the U.S. for patients here in need of bone marrow transplants.
  • Through our efforts, DKMS Americas has registered over 125,000 donors, and more than 155 DKMS (Americas) donors have gone on to donate their bone marrow.
  • There is still more work to do as only 4 out of 10 people will receive a life-saving transplant.

LOVE HOPE STRENGTH AND DKMS

LHS started working with DKMS directly 3 years ago and have added over 10,000 donors to the registry and have found 80 potential matches resulting in 13 matches.

(For more information on this, please visit www.dkmsamericas.org/about)

Training Video

Love Hope Strength Training Video

LHS “Get on the List” Training Video from Love Hope Strength Foundation on Vimeo.

Booth Photos