In support of enhanced accessibility to life-saving stem cell transplants through the Be The Match® Registry, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation has made a $500,000 grant to Be The Match that will further the organization's partnerships at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
The $500,000 gift will enable Be The Match to grow its partnerships at HBCUs with focused recruitment efforts, education, awareness and internship opportunities for students; all in pursuit of increased stem cell transplant accessibility for Black and African American patients. Six new campus partnerships have already been established as a result of this gift.
"This generous gift from the Pomeroy Foundation is going to have a lasting impact on our ability to reach Black and African American communities and will make a difference for diverse patients in need of a donor."
-Amy Ronneberg, Chief Executive Officer of Be The Match.
In addition, the Pomeroy Foundation donation sponsors a gift matching campaign that will help to diversify the donor registry. The matching opportunity coincides with this year's observance of World Marrow Donor Day on Saturday, Sept. 17. Donations to Be The Match throughout the month of September will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $500,000. Visit this link to donate and have your gift matched. The doubled donation will give patients a greater chance of finding a match and a second chance at life.
"Patients are most likely to match a donor of their own ethnic background, Improving the ethnic diversity of the registry improves all patients' odds of finding a life-saving match."
-Bill Pomeroy, Founder and Trustee of the Pomeroy Foundation.
Currently, the chance of having a matched, available donor on the registry ranges from 29-79%, with people of color less likely to find a match because fewer potential donors with diverse backgrounds are registered.
In 2004, Bill Pomeroy was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. He received a life-saving transplant from a fully matched donor found on the Be The Match Registry in 2005. Bill's transplant experience served as a catalyst for the creation of the Pomeroy Foundation, which works closely with Be The Match to expand recruitment efforts, especially for ethnically diverse donors. Bill is Trustee Emeritus for the Be The Match® Foundation.
About Be The Match®:
Be The Match® is the leading global partner working to save lives through cellular therapy. With more than 30 years of experience managing the most diverse registry of potential unrelated blood stem cell donors and cord blood units in the world, Be The Match is a proven partner in providing cures to patients with life-threatening blood and marrow cancers and diseases. Through their global network, they connect centers and patients to their best cell therapy options, from blood stem cell transplant to next-generation therapy, and collaborate with cell and gene therapy companies to support therapy development and delivery through Be The Match BioTherapies®.
About the Pomeroy Foundation:
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation® is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and working to improve the probability of finding appropriate donor matches or other life-saving treatments for blood cancer patients. Established by Trustee Bill Pomeroy in 2005 to bring together his two greatest passions, the Pomeroy Foundation is a private, philanthropic organization located in Syracuse, N.Y. As the nation's leading funder of historic roadside markers, the Pomeroy Foundation has awarded nearly 2,000 grants for markers and bronze plaques in 46 states and Washington, D.C.