This article was originally published in the May 2023 edition of Héma-Québec’s Magazine.

The ABDV and its youth wing

Our volunteers are working hard to boost plasma donations

For almost 25 years now, the Association of Blood Donation Volunteers (ABDV), supported by the Héma-Québec Foundation, has been informing the public about the importance of giving life and recruiting new donors in all donation categories. Today, its more than 800 volunteers devote time and effort to contribute to this essential mission all across Québec.

As a strategic partner of Héma-Québec, the ABDV continues to increase its efforts to help it achieve its ambitious objectives. Among these issues, the need to raise Québec’s plasma self-sufficiency is increasingly important. This component of blood contains proteins that are used to manufacture medications that are essential for treating many diseases. To meet the growing demand, Héma-Québec must source much of these specialized products in international markets. To reduce that dependency, the objective is to raise the current self-sufficiency rate. Hence the importance of increasing plasma donations, a renewable resource that, like blood, can transform and save lives!

The ABDV comes into play!

Called upon to support the efforts to recruit new plasma donors, the ABDV has been involved in this mission for several years with the vitality that it is known for. Although the pandemic temporarily slowed its operations, they have been back in full swing since spring 2022. In addition to relying on a strong base of volunteers of all ages, the ABDV now enjoys the enthusiastic support of its youth wing, which people aged 18 to 30 can join. In just three years, the number of these ambassadors grew from 27 to over 130, and their contribution is more than appreciated, particularly for reaching student clients, who are very important in this age group.

To carry out its mission, the ABDV focuses mostly on two types of activities. First, the association has a presence at Héma-Québec Donation Centres to make frequent blood donors aware of the importance of donating plasma as well. In addition, the ABDV has ABO information kiosks, where people can find out what their blood type is. It’s a great opportunity for the volunteers to inform them about plasma donating and to convince more people to come and donate. These kiosks are set up during targeted activities in some public places, like shopping malls, and even at festivals and other participatory events.

Young volunteers are called upon

The ABDV’s youth wing also deploys its own initiatives. One of them is the Plasma Challenge, which pits the members of various university faculties and those of teams from CEGEPs, to crown the one who successfully wracks up the most donations.

In addition to receiving full training, ambassadors have a number of information tools designed by Héma-Québec’s marketing department, particularly in relation to the “Partager ce qui brille en vous” advertising campaign devoted to promoting plasma donating. Some of the content is also provided to them so that they can ensure maximum coverage on social media, where their target audience obtains information.

Inspiring results

With roughly 50 activities held per month in the various regions where the Héma-Québec Donation Centres are located, the ABDV continues to achieve excellent results. The experience gained over the years tells us that almost half of them will come to donate plasma. This is very encouraging progress, but the ABDV doesn’t intend to stop there and is counting on the arrival of new volunteers to help it reach new highs in plasma supply!