Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Team to Host Event to Promote Bone Marrow Donorship April 20
4/1/2009 8:00:00 AM | Football
April 1, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell football program has joined Villanova and the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) in their effort to recruit 5,000 new members to the marrow registry. The Bison will host their inaugural "Get in the Game. Save a Life" event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, April 20, inside Davis Gym. Bucknell faculty, staff and students and area residents can join the marrow registry on that day.
Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the NMDP Registry to find a match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially critical as patients in need of a transplant are most likely to match someone of their own race or ethnicity.
Villanova head football coach Andy Talley has dedicated more than 15 years to raising awareness about the need for marrow donors. He has recruited thousands of members to the registry by encouraging his football players and their friends to join. With "Get in the Game. Save a Life", Talley aims to increase the likelihood that all patients receive the life-saving transplant they need. In addition to Bucknell, more than 24 college football programs are participating in the program.
"A big part of our program over the years has been community service," said Bucknell seventh-year head coach Tim Landis. "Over the years we have been involved with a number of great initiatives, but this might be the most important one we have had the opportunity to take part in. Many people close to our program have been affected by cancer and it is an honor to have the opportunity to help those that are suffering."
The NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and cord blood transplants as a single point of access for a long-standing collaborative network of national and international leading medical facilities in marrow and cord blood transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit www.marrow.org.
For more information on Bucknell's event, please contact assistant coach Mike O'Connor at 570-577-3097 or michael.oconnor@bucknell.edu.
