Hillel at Ohio University will host a daylong bone-marrow swabbing drive Wednesday with the help of several entities around campus.
Although it’s been two years since a “Got Swabbed?” event was held at Baker University Center, smaller bone-marrow swabbing events have been held on campus for four years.
This year’s partnership with Ohio Athletics and the LINKS program will bring a full day of swabbing to campus — both in Baker and in The Convo.
Swabbing will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by the front of Baker Theatre and will move to The Convo for the 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. session at the basketball game, saidRabbi Danielle Leshaw, Hillel’s director.
“We’ve never swabbed in The Convo, but we’re excited to have their support this year,” Leshaw said. “It’s overwhelming seeing students encouraging other students, and we are really excited.”
More than 100 volunteers are registered to help with the event, Leshaw said.
Smaller swabbing drives have taken place sporadically throughout the year and will continue to do so, but Wednesday’s event is the largest of the year, said Hannah Klein, a Hillel bone-marrow swabbing intern.
“For our events, we try to focus on areas with large student traffic patterns,” said Klein, a sophomore studying retail merchandising and fashion production development. “Since it is a common place, it’s more convenient and easier for someone to find us and come get swabbed.”
Hillel’s goal is to get more than 2,000 people swabbed and registered with the event, Klein said.
During the past four years, 10 matches have been reported on OU’s campus, with the most recent one for a two-year-old last spring, Leshaw said.
To publicize the event, Hillel received money from the Student Activities Commission to run advertisements in the newspaper and to create posters. Chalking and social media have been large resources, Klein said.
“More than half of our campus knows what we do, so it is easy to spread the word,” said Kathy Weiner, a sophomore studying chemical engineering and a bone marrow-swabbing intern at the Hillel.
Processing each swab costs about $60 dollars and is paid for by the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. Leshaw estimates the drive with cost about $100,000.
“People aren’t given a chance everyday to save a life,” Weiner said. “If you become a match or if you don’t, it only cost you two minutes to fill out the form.”
Swabbing is a one-time process and then a person remains in the registry until the age of 65, she said.
“It’s social, quick, painless and student-centered with students running the entire bone marrow drive,” Weiner said.
If You Go:
What: Got Swabbed? Bone Marrow Drive
When/Where: 11a.m. to 4p.m., Baker University Center
6 p.m. to 10 p.m., The Convo
