City of Hope’s Blood Donor Center launched its fifth annual employee donor loyalty program with a luncheon on Feb. 2. The event also honored staff members who gave blood during last year’s initiative.

Employee blood and platelet donors enjoyed a lunch from In-N-Out Burger. (Photo by p.cunningham)

More than 200 employee blood and platelet donors gathered in Cooper Auditorium for the celebration, which featured food from In-N-Out Burger and a raffle for a flat-panel TV, a digital camera and other prizes.

Dale Adams, Pharm.D., vice president and chief pharmacy officer, addressed attendees and named nine loyalty program participants who earned spots on the Tree of Life, a sculpture in the Michael Amini Transfusion Medicine Center that features leaves engraved with the names of donors who have given 40 units of platelets or 20 units of blood.

Adams also named three donors whose names will be inscribed on milestone donation plaques displayed in the lobby of the center: Alma Cabatingan, who donated more than 50 whole-blood units; Michael Rorman, with more than 100 platelet units; and James Filkins, with more than 200 platelet units.

Adams gave special recognition to the five employees who donated the most blood and platelets throughout the 2010-11 program: Barbara Dear (23 units); Anita Robinette (20 units); Vincent Paterno (17 units); Richard Campos (15 units); and James Filkins (15 units).

The employee donor loyalty program offers employees prizes and time-off vouchers in exchange for donated blood or platelets. Employees can earn eight “loyalty hours” of time off work with pay by making five donations during the program year, which runs from Feb. 1 to Jan. 31. The program also offers other loyalty gifts, such as a ceramic soup bowl, a folding beach mat and an eco-friendly collapsible grocery cart bag, and monthly raffles for preferred parking spots and other prizes.

An employee who is unable to donate but still wants to participate in the loyalty program and earn rewards can designate a friend or family member to donate on the employee’s behalf.

New to the program this year, per diem employees such as on-call nurses are allowed to participate.

“We were pleased to be able to announce that we collected 1,450 donations from employees last year,” said Jill Schwarz, recruitment manager in the Donor Apheresis Center.

Schwarz feels confident about meeting the current year’s goal of 1,800 units, if current participants help spread the word to their co-workers.

“I encourage all City of Hope employee donors to be ambassadors to this program. They’ve seen what a benefit it is to not only them, but our patients and our institution,” Schwarz said.

For more information about the loyalty program or upcoming blood drives, please contact Brenda Lotero at ext. 68384 or blotero@coh.org, or visit www.coh.org/employee-donor-loyalty-program.