This week’s campus celeb, Hannah Teller, is a campus ambassador for the non-profit organization, Gift of Life. Hannah kindly let me interview her during finals week, a true testament to how she really is a #celeb.
Tell me a bit about Gift of Life.
The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of curing blood cancer and blood disease. Gift of Life is dedicated to saving the lives of patients with blood cancer and blood disease by facilitating bone marrow and stem cell transplants. On campus, the Gift of Life club hosts recruitment drives that gives students the opportunity to join the bone marrow registry. All it takes is a simple form and a cotton swab to the inside of the cheek to become a part of the registry. The chances of finding a match in the registry is 1 in 1000, so with every recruitment drive we increase the chances of finding life-saving matches.
How did you get involved with the organization?
Before I even heard about the Campus Ambassador program, I had volunteered at Gift of Life recruitment drives at my local JCC and my sleepaway camp because of my family’s personal connection to the cause. Eight years ago, my mom was match for an eight-year old boy with leukemia. Gift of Life successfully facilitated the transplant of my mom’s donated stem cells to the patient in need. Ever since, Gift of Life has been an important cause to my family. When I heard about the opportunity to be a Campus Ambassador for Gift of Life, I immediately applied.
What is your favorite aspect about working with Gift of Life?
I think my favorite aspect about working for Gift of Life is educating people about how they can make a difference. Even if I’m just telling them what it means to be on the national bone marrow registry, it is exciting to inform people that they have the potential to be a hero.
Can you tell me a bit about events that will be coming up next year for the org?
As the semester is coming to an end, the Gift of Life club on campus has already started to plan some events for February and March. Look out for the Gift of Life table at the Spring Organization Fair at the Kohl Center. We will be swabbing people who are interested in joining the registry, educating people about Gift of Life, and recruiting future volunteers.
How can others get involved?
For those interested in getting involved, our Gift of Life club is always looking for more volunteers to help facilitate drives. All it takes is an easy training session and you could be earning service hours by helping swab students at drives. If volunteering isn’t for you, helping the Gift of Life fundraise is another opportunity a well.
So far, what have you gained from your experience as a campus ambassador?
As a Campus Ambassador, I’ve learned the power of perseverance. Before I started running drives, I was so scared to speak to random people about a cause that I held so near and dear to my heart. I quickly got over my fear and learned that I have the power to make a difference simply by reaching out to people I never met. For every 100 people I ask “do you have sixty seconds to save a life?” I will receive a negative response, but that 1 person who answers yes gives me hope that Gift of Life’s mission to cure blood cancer can become reality.
Do you have any personal goals for the organization?
As I said before, the goal of Gift of Life is to find a match anytime, everywhere, for everyone. Personally, my goal as Campus Ambassador is for Gift of Life to be a recognizable name in Madison. I want people to be able to tell their friends about joining the registry and help spread the word about how everyone can help cure blood cancer.