In July 2012, Sankalp volunteers were involved in plethora of events and activities apart from the flood relief operations in Assam. Here is a peek into them
IGNITING YOUNG MINDS
Sankalp’s efforts to build a better future of safe blood took a new leap this month with close to 800 students being educated in 5 sessions. The young kids were made aware of the problem of blood shortage, their roles in making a difference to solve this and the other benefits of regular voluntary blood donation.
1 session was held in Mitralaya High School in Cubbonpet, Bangalore with an attendance of 153 students. 2 sessions at Little flowers English High School in Domlur saw 137 students taking the pledge to donate blood once they are 18. A mammoth turnout of 507 students at Lourdes High School in Cubbonpet made volunteers believe that there is better hope for voluntary blood donation in Karnataka in the coming years
RAKTA KRANTI BLOOD DRIVES.
Blood donation drives are embedded into Sankalp’s routine. Summer or winter, sun or rain, whatever is the time of the year, fulfilling all blood requests through off the shelf voluntarily available safe blood is the goal.
For the first time since it’s inception, Sankalp knocked on the doors of religious institutions for blood donation drives. A positive response was seen by Bethel Mar Thoma Church, Bangalore where a first of it’s kind blood donation drive was organized after Sunday prayers on 1st July 2012. 19 precious units of blood were collected there.
Capgemini, one of the biggest all time supporters of Sankalp’s Rakta Kranti organized their 13th and 14th drives with Sankalp on 5 and 6 July 2012. The turnout and support was good as usual with 323 donors rolling up their sleeves to gift a unit of life.
At the other extreme were Interra Systems and Wipro Bangalore’s Sarjapur campus. Both these organizations made their debut Sankalp blood donation drives. So amazing was the employee turnout to total number of employees ratio that 824 units of blood were collected at these places, with 783 of them coming from Wipro alone in a 2 day event!. At Wipro the situation was such that more than 200 donors were sent back with the promise of another drive as there was simply no time and space to accommodate them in this drive.
Making the month even more special for Sankalp Rakta Kranti were the public drives held at ING Life office, Kalamandir saree shop @ Marathalli, Bangalore and one organized by H2H Foundation @ JP Nagar, Bangalore. The efforts and commitment from organizers at these drives proved that where there is a will, there is blood. Approximately 20 units were collected at first 2 locations and 68 units in the third.
Sankalp India Foundation wishes to express their deepest sense of gratitude to all these organizers that helped in a collection of more than 1200 units of blood in 1 month. A note of thanks also goes out to the blood bank staff for making all these events successful and more importantly quality compliant.