Where Twitter is What Birds Do Blood Donation in Rural Markets

1. Where Twitter is What Birds Do Blood Donation in Rural Markets Lydia Wallace American Red Cross Greater Alleghenies Region

2. Characteristics of Rural Communities • Close-Knit Relationships • Pride in Local Traditions • Closeness Between Generations • Grass-Roots Organization • Leadership from Bottom Up, Not Top-Down

3. Rural Blood Drives • Loyal 56-Day Donors • Local Volunteers Run the Show • Viewed as a Social Occasion • Enjoy Drives Echoing Seasonal Themes / Local Events • Opportunity to Build Bridges • Between Churches & Civic Organizations • Between Amish & English Communities • Between Youth & Adults • More Crossover Between School & Community Drives • Highly Invested in Results of Blood Drive • Highly Responsive to Needs of Local Patients - In Honor Of / In Memory Of Drives - High Turn-Out Following Local Medical Emergencies - Transformative Power of Personal Tragedies

4. Rural Donor Recruitment • Postcards & TeleRecruitment • Keep Loyal Volunteers Happy • Rotate Sponsorship Among Local Groups • Create a Leadership Council of Local Sponsors/Volunteers • Share & Compare Best Practices • Foster Collaboration & Friendly Competition • Take Seasonal Events into Account When Scheduling • Beware Onset of Hunting & Fishing Seasons! • Anticipate Downturn at Busy Agricultural Times • Be Aware of Days/Months of Amish Wedding Season • Offer Double Red Donation to Match Agricultural Calendar & Busy Seasons • Be Cognizant of Local High School Sports Schedule • Work Around or Exploit Important Local & Seasonal Events • Special Foods & Themes • Scan Bulletin Boards/Newspapers • New Sponsors & Recruitment Opportunities • Recruit New Donors at Local Festivals & Parades • Offer Free Transportation to Amish Donors • Invite High School Students, especially in Summer • Schedule & Publicize IHO/IMO & School Scholarship Drives

5. It’s Not the Size of the Population, But the Size of Their HeartsPetersburg, WV, Elementary School Drive • 14 Year History • Founded in 1997 by Librarian Carolyn Shuman • Funded by Milken Family Foundation Festival for Youth Grant • Believed to Be First Drive in Region at an Elementary School • First Drive Collected 240 Pints from 300 Presenting Donors • Occurs Annually Each Spring • Scheduled to Coincide with 56-Day Community Blood Drive • Collects an Average of 175 Pints (Regular Rotation 65 Pints) • Grant County Population 12,000; Petersburg 2,775; School 630 • Special Curriculum • Blood Drive Jeopardy • Students from Each Grade Perform a Special Duty • Posters, Radio Advertisements, Food, Child Care, Parking, Clean-Up, etc. • Evolved to Include Giveaways Donated by Local Businesses • 2010 Drive Honored Founder Carolyn Shuman • Succession Plan to Replace Founder (Retiring This Year)

6. Rural Service Groups • The Grange • Ruritan National

7. The Grange • Fraternal Organization of American Farmers • The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry • Oldest Surviving Agricultural Organization in America • Founded in 1867, over One Million Members through the 1950’s • Borrowed Rituals & Symbols of Freemasonry • Advocacy Group for Farmers • Fought Railroad Monopolies • Regulated Grain Warehouses • Advocated Rural Free Mail Delivery • Lobbied for Farm Credit System & Cooperative Extension Service • Women’s Suffrage & Temperance • Currently 300,000 Members in 36 States

8. The Grange Fair • Centre Hall, Pennsylvania • Centre County Grange Fair & Encampment • Annual Meeting of Local Granges which began 136 years ago • Convention of Local Granges to Promote the Organization • Week-Long Encampment • Hereditary Tent Sites Furnished with All the Comforts of Home • 950 Tents, 1300 RVs • Food Concession Stands & Shops • Livestock, Farm Equipment, Vehicle, Cooking & Craft Competitions • Beauty Contest • Live Entertainment & Music Performances • Carnival Rides & Games • 3-Day Bloodmobile • Recruit through Postcards & Camper Registration Packet • Sign-Ups at the First Aid Station & Recruitment at Tents and RVs • PA Announcements

9. Nittany Antique Machine Show • Another Local Fair & RV Encampment • Held Biannually First Weekend after Memorial Day & Labor Day • Founded by Local Antique Machinery Enthusiasts in 1975 • Steam Engines, Tractors, Other Farm Implements • Tractor Pulls • Demonstrations of Antique Farm Equipment in Action • Threshing, Bailing, Sawing, Blacksmith Shop, etc. • Large Flea Market (800 vendors) • Food Stands • Cider Pressing & Apple Butter Making • RV Encampment • Museum & Library • Square Dancing & Entertainment • Local Church & Service Organization Volunteers Park Cars • Well-Attended Donor Recruitment Opportunity

10. Ruritan National • Civic Service Organization • “Ruri” Open Country + “Tan” Small Town • Founded 1928 in Holland, VA • Headquarters in Dublin, VA • Serves 1,200 Communities in the East, SE, & Midwest USA • Service Committees Support: • 4-H, FFA, FHA • Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry (VA, MD) • Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts • Little Leagues • Athletic Programs & Athletic Facilities • Schools & Educational Scholarships • Roadside Clean-Up & Parks • EMS & Fire Departments • Children with Medical & Special Needs • Blood Donation • Other Projects Determined at the Local Level

11. Rural Donor Groups • Amish • Mennonites

12. Amish Donors • Population Growth Rate High for Rural Area • Large Family Size • Average 7 Children • Extended Family & Multiple Generations • May Live Close By or in Same Compound • Close-Knit Community with Kinship Ties • Assume Responsibility for Community Members • Maintain Close Ties & Visit Relatives at a Distance

13. Amish Donors • Tight Local Social Controls by Church • Lay Bishops & Ministers, No Church Buildings • Church Held Every 2 Weeks at a Member’s Home • Responsibility to Host Church Rotates Among Members • Weddings Held at Bride’s Home • Customs Vary Among Communities, But Always Highly Conventional & Strictly Observed • No Electrical Appliances (But Generators & Batteries OK) • Style & Color of Carriages (No Cars) • Style & Color of Clothing (Always Dark, Plain & Simple) • Wedding Season on Particular Months/Days

14. Amish Donors • Education System • 1st through 8th Grades • One-Room Schoolhouse within Walking Distance • Coeducational • Unmarried Female Teacher • Brief 6-Week Teacher Training & Regular Teachers’ Meetings • School Board Composed of Selected Men • Adolescence • Work Alongside Parents and/or Outside of Home • Social Events With Youth Group • Rumspringa (“Running Around”) Period of Experimentation Before Joining Church and Marriage

15. Amish Donors • Physically Active, Healthy Lifestyle • Men/Women perform 18,000/14,000 steps per day! • Subject to Agricultural Accidents • Small Population Descended from Only 42 Families • Genetic Disorders • Unique Blood Factors • Shared Medical Expenses for Community Members • Benefit Auctions to Pay Hospital Expenses

16. Amish Donors • Blood Donation as Social Responsibility to Help Patients • Blood Donation as a Link to the Larger Community • Blood Drive as an Opportunity to Socialize • Blood Drive as a Welcome Break from the Daily Routine • Sacrifice Personal or Work Time, Cost of Transportation • Appreciate Offer of Free Transportation • Enjoy Free Food at the Blood Drive • May Combine Blood Donation with a Business Trip into Town • Donate During Time of Day & Seasons When Least Busy • Agricultural Year (Not Plowing, Planting, Fertilizing, or Harvesting) • When Raining or Snowing so as to Prevent Outside Work • Not at Milking Time • Not During Wedding Season • Not on Holidays or Day after Holiday Reserved for Family Visiting

17. Amish Donors • Challenges • No Photo ID • 2 Forms of Non-Photo ID: Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Hunting/Fishing License, Checkbook, etc. • May Need Transportation To/From Drive • May Need a Hitching Post at Site! • Young Married Women Too Busy with Children • Donor Surge After Sundown • Recruitment Opportunities • Endorsement in Church by Bishop • Mud Sales, Horse Sales, Auctions & Benefits • School Teacher Sends Home Flyers with Children • Local Parades Where Candy is Thrown to Children

18. Mennonite Donors • Like Amish, Descendents of Anabaptists • Amish Split from the Original Mennonite Group over Religious Doctrine & Practices • Mennonites Are Outwardly Less Conservative… • Construct Churches & Modern School Buildings (may be without signage) • Use Electrical Appliances • Drive Cars, Usually Black or Dark Blue • Dark Pants, Light Shirts for Men • White Caps & Mid-Calf Dresses (Often Patterned or Flowered) for Women • Yet Still Highly Socially Conservative • Women Defer to Men • Have Objected to Health History Questions on Sexual Behavior • Have Required Specially Screened Donor Beds for Women for Modesty • Like Amish, May Differ Group to Group in Dress and Level of Conservatism

19. Lydia Wallace American Red Cross Greater Alleghenies Region Where Twitter is What Birds Do Blood Donation in Rural Markets