Just Your Type - Century Donor Builds Community Support

Century Donor Builds Community Support

As the Lifesaver Club Coordinator for the City of Honolulu for 20 years, Cynthia Bond showed her support of Hawaii's patients, with more than a hundred blood donations of her own. But her commitment hasn't stopped there. She is now urging others to give the gift of life, by coordinating Hawaii Kai community blood drives, appropriately dubbed “Hawaii Kai Cares.”

“The East Oahu community is filled with caring people who want to make a difference and there is tremendous potential in helping the blood supply,” Bond said. Here are some ways in which she is enabling Hawaii Kai to serve Hawaii's patients.

Century donor Cynthia Bond coordinates the
“Hawaii Kai Cares” blood drives.

Targeting tough times
Bond worked with BBH Field Representative Craig Taketa to identify specific days that her community was most needed. She welcomed the challenge to help bring in the blood during the summer and New Year's Eve, both low periods of donor turnout.

Enlisting the help of other service organizations
Bond turned to Hawaii Kai chapters of service organizations to assist her efforts. The Rotary Club purchased a large banner, arranged for radio public service announcements and showed up in force to assist in setting up the drive. The Lions Club welcomed her to sign up donors at their annual Fathers' Day Breakfast. The Jaycees promoted the event and Bond also recruited donors by speaking at the Neighborhood Board meetings.

Getting a central blood drive location
She worked closely with blood donor and church member, Brent Hancock, to have the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hawaii Kai Chapel provide use of their facilities for a centrally located blood drive.

The building is located at a main intersection, making it easy to find. Consistency in blood drive locations encourages donors to make blood donations regularly. For donor refreshments, she secured a sumptuous array of donated food from generous local restaurants.

Increasing awareness and education
Bond arranged educational presentations on giving blood to students at Koko Head Elementary School. Those students, in turn, assisted in publicity when they created posters and signs promoting upcoming blood drives throughout the three community shopping centers.