News & Events | Blood Center Videos Honored at Telly Awards

Videos were critical to increasing blood donations among ethnic minorities and second-time donors

NOVEMBER 12, 2002, SEATTLE — The Puget Sound Blood Center was recognized recently at the 2002 Telly Awards for two of its videos, An Act of Love and Thank You. An Act of Love, which was developed to increase blood donations among ethnic minorities, received a top honor, the prestigious Silver Award, while Thank You received a Bronze Award. Thank You was created to express the organization's gratitude -- on behalf of the community it serves -- to all of those people who gave blood during the tragedies of September 11, 2001.

The Puget Sound Blood Center has a long-standing commitment to maintaining a stable blood supply by increasing blood donations among ethnic minorities and increasing its base of first-time donors. Each of the award-winning videos contributed to the Blood Center's organized efforts to reach out and encourage the community.

An Act of Love was an important component of the Blood Center's Rare Donor Program, a coordinated, grass-roots campaign to create a more ethnically diverse blood supply in the region. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation and the Group Health Community Foundation, the program recruits the region's ethnic minority community and educates them about the need to donate blood and marrow for those needing blood transfusions and marrow transplant. The program has made considerable strides in meeting the blood transfusion needs of the region's diverse community -- because the availability of the specifically matched blood types ethnic minorities need is in limited supply. Since its inception in May 2000, the Rare Donor Program has increased minority blood donations by 44 percent.

Thank You was a heart-felt response to all of those who gave blood during the tragedies of September 11, which inspired a record number of donors. The video's compelling message resonated so well with first-time donors, that it resulted in an impressive 42 percent surge in second-time donors among this group.

"We are proud to accept these prestigious awards on behalf of our dedicated community of donors, charitable foundations and volunteers who have contributed to making a stable and diverse blood supply possible," said Dr. Richard Counts, the Blood Center's President. "The Telly Awards only serve as further validation to the significant progress we've made to date with our outreach efforts. We look forward to continued success in expanding our first-time donor base and recruiting more ethnic minorities to donate blood."

About The Puget Sound Blood Center
The nonprofit Puget Sound Blood Center is the resource for patients in western Washington who need blood, tissue and specialized laboratory services. Founded in 1944, the Blood Center has a long and unique tradition of blending community volunteerism, medical science and research to improve patients' lives. The Blood Center, which serves patients in more than 70 hospitals and clinics in 14 counties with blood services, provides tissue and transplantation support to 185 hospitals across the Northwest.