JMU Sport Programs Gather 460 Registrants for Bone Marrow Drive

James Madison's women's soccer, men's soccer and football teamed up with Be the Match as well as the University Health Center and had 460 participants register to become bone marrow donors during the donor registration drive on campus Wednesday.

At this event last year, there were 184 registrants when the women's soccer team volunteered at this event alone, so to receive 276 this year with the aid of other teams participating proved to be a significant boost. Having two locations at Festival, where the football team found an additional 184 donors, and the Student Success Center, incorporating multiple sport programs and the willingness of participants to register all contributed to the event's success.

Head coach of the women's soccer team, Dave Lombardo, was impressed with JMU's dedication to the cause and said, "I am truly amazed with the response around campus to this registry campaign. The unselfishness of the JMU community was astonishing. It showed us there are wonderful people here who understand that they can have a hand in helping others less fortunate. It was a privilege to have my team be a part of this worthwhile cause."

From students to administrators, the variety of participants who registered to become a potential life-saving bone marrow donor is amazing. The dedication to help others is part of what makes JMU so special and makes these events so successful.

Be The Match is a non-profit organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program and for the last 25 years has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. The registry is a potentially life-saving tool for thousands of individuals diagnosed with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.

We registered over 460 people as bone marrow donors yesterday! Thank you to everyone who helped make this #BeTheMatch event a success! pic.twitter.com/B1fFMDeQzD
— JMU Health Center (@JMUHealthCenter) April 13, 2017

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