Four stories of volunteers making waves in their communities

When you picture a Canadian Blood Services volunteer, an image of a red vest, an offer of a post-donation snack and a smiling face might come to mind. Every day, these volunteers across the country create welcoming spaces for donors.

While this type of volunteerism may come to mind first, there are many other ways volunteers keep Canada’s Lifeline strong.

The theme for National Volunteer Week this year is Volunteers Make Waves — celebrating the power, impact and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts across Canada. Like a wave, volunteering is movement building.

Read on for four different stories of volunteers who are making waves, supporting our organization and our communities!

Engaging with donors at donor centres

Ali Salman first became involved with Canadian Blood Services shortly after he arrived in Canada to study at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2021. The Palestinian biology and biochemistry student had studied remotely during the pandemic, and after arriving in St. John’s to continue his education, he was eager to give back to his new community.

Since the St. John’s donor centre was nearby, it presented the perfect opportunity.

Ali’s first shift was at an annual memorial donation event for a young boy who had passed away a few years earlier from neuroblastoma, a rare cancer. Ali has continued to make time to volunteer at this event every year since. “The boy’s story continues to inspire so many people, and that’s something I’ll never forget,” says Ali.

When people learn about Ali’s background, they often think about the ongoing situation in Palestine and ask questions to better understand his lived experience.

“Palestine has a positive side that many are curious about. I try to provide a fuller picture, showing that it’s a place full of life, love, a thriving community, and people who are eager to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams,” Ali says.

After devoting many hours as a volunteer, Ali was interested in building a stronger connection to Canada’s Lifeline. “I spent so much time volunteering that I grew curious about what happens behind the scenes at the donor centre,” he says.

Last summer, Ali stepped into the role of donor care associate — but even though he’s now an employee, he continues to volunteer each week.

Earlier this year, Ali celebrated 400 hours of volunteering in-centre. “In my years as a volunteer, I’ve come to understand just how much Canadian Blood Services does to care for thousands of people — more than most people realize.”

Interested in getting involved? Visit our volunteer page to learn about our volunteer roles and become a part of Canada’s Lifeline.

Partners for Life teams working together to recruit new donors

Dan Gibson of Calgary, Alta., had already been donating blood on his own for a few years before finding out that his workplace, Royal Bank of Canada, was an active participant in the Partners for Life program.

In fact, RBC’s initiative – RBC Gives Blood for Life – was one of the top contributors in 2024 out of over 12,000 Partners for Life teams in Canada. Collectively, they made more than 2,700 blood donations last year through the Partners for Life program! 

Once Dan found out about RBC Gives Blood for Life, he was eager to get involved. As one of his team’s “champions,” Dan got to work right away recruiting colleagues to join their team for group donation events.  

Since Dan had already been posting about donating blood on his social media pages for a few years, he was no stranger to talking to people about it. In addition to sharing his personal experiences, he wanted his followers to understand why donating was so important.

“I was deep-diving the Canadian Blood Services website, looking for facts about the impact of blood donation,” Dan says. “I was really pulling on those facts to put it in perspective. Not to scare people, but to help them understand that there’s a big demand here.”

By sharing his experience as a seasoned donor, Dan has been able to motivate many people to donate blood for the first time. And he gets just as much satisfaction out of seeing them become regulars.

At a group donation event with RBC Gives Blood for Life, Dan is easy to spot.

“I make it fun! I hold people’s hands. I sing to them. I try to ease off some of the nerves that people might be experiencing, especially as first-time donors.”

While Dan likes bringing the fun, he also enjoys another side of donating with his team. “It just allows me to connect with like-minded individuals that share similar passions and allows me to build my network and create more meaningful connections.”  

Interested in starting a Partners for Life group in your workplace? Submit a new organization inquiry to get started!  

Recruiting youth to join the national stem cell registry

In the fall of 2021, SunMin Park was returning to Mount Alison University in Sackville, N.B., after taking a year’s break from her undergraduate studies. During her time away, she worked at her local hospital’s emergency room and saw first-hand the importance of lifesaving blood transfusions in emergency medical care.

When it came time to choose a topic for a year-end presentation in a molecular immunology course, SunMin’s experience in the emergency room inspired her decision to explore immunology in the context of transplant.

As she worked on her project, she was intrigued by how intricate the processes of blood, stem cell, and organ donations were. “The more I learned, the more I realized how essential these donations are and how little awareness there was among my peers,” says SunMin.

This idea is what sparked SunMin to team up with a friend to create MtA Gives Blood, an on-campus initiative to inform their peers about biological donations and to make donation more accessible to students. The group’s first donation event involved transporting six busloads of students to Moncton — a pandemic-era record for the largest group donation in the area by a single Partners for Life group.

In addition to raising awareness about the need for blood and plasma donors, MtA Gives Blood has also had an impact on stem cell registry recruitment. Group members have been educating their peers about the importance of registering as a donor — and making the process simple.

“We make it easy and accessible by bringing the opportunity directly to them,” says SunMin. “Whether it’s in residence, at student events, or right in the middle of day-to-day campus life, we meet students where they are and start meaningful conversations about the impact they could have with a simple cheek swab.”

Earlier this year, SunMin received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, an award presented by the Governor General’s office to Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada, their province, region, or community. Reflecting on all SunMin has done to support Canada’s Lifeline on campus and in her community, it’s not hard to see why she was honoured with this prestigious award.

When asked if she has advice for others looking to create impact in their communities, her answer is simple. “If you’re thinking about starting a club or getting involved with an initiative, make sure to follow your passion,” says SunMin. “When you invest in something that matters to you, the experience and leadership will follow naturally, and it becomes a journey of impact, growth, and fulfillment.”

Interested in joining the stem cell registry? Learn more and request a swabbing kit.

Supporting donor recruitment and research through financial giving

Last year, Jennifer Kealey was at a group donation with her workplace’s Partners for Life team in Ottawa, Ont. As an Adobe Community Impact Team Co-Lead and a Partners for Life team “champion” for Adobe’s Ottawa office, Jennifer was excited about seeing her team show up to donate and save lives together. “Organizing donation events and seeing our employees come out to support the community has been incredibly fulfilling,” says Jennifer. “It’s amazing to see how a simple act like donating blood can have such a powerful impact.”

During a conversation with Tahawar Rana, a Canadian Blood Services community development manager, Jennifer mentioned that in addition to empowering employees to donate blood, Adobe also supports local charities through a grant program.

Each year, Adobe awards grants to organizations across the globe that are working to address challenges and create change in their communities. This initiative, called the Adobe Employee Community Fund, is an employee-driven grantmaking program available at Adobe’s largest sites worldwide — including Adobe’s only office in Canada, located in Ottawa.

“I wanted to find a way for Adobe to deepen its support beyond volunteering, and the Adobe Employee Community Fund felt like the perfect fit,” said Jennifer. “It was a chance to not only strengthen our partnership but also help ensure Canadian Blood Services has the resources to continue their lifesaving work on an even larger scale.”

Jennifer knew that her team was passionate about saving lives with blood and plasma — and that financial gifts to Canadian Blood Services also support patients, for example, by funding donor recruitment efforts and research. Jennifer also knew that Canadian Blood Services’ efforts to increase diversity in the donor base and meet the needs of all patients was in close alignment with Adobe’s corporate social responsibility pillars, making the partnership a great fit.

Because each participating Adobe office has its own grantmaking budget, applications for the grant are reviewed by a panel of local employees at that location. Jennifer and Tahawar saw an opportunity for the Ottawa Adobe employees to rally behind Canadian Blood Services for a grant after having a great experience with our team at the donor centre.

Last fall, we found out that Adobe employees had chosen Canadian Blood Services to receive that year’s Adobe Employee Community Fund grant!

When reflecting on her experience with Partners for Life and her team’s impact, Jennifer feels proud of the difference they’ve been able to make together. “It’s reminded me how powerful community can be — especially when we come together around a cause that saves lives,” she says. “If anyone’s even thinking about getting involved, I’d say don’t hesitate — it’s one of the most impactful things you can do.”

Learn more about financial giving, and how you can amplify your support by getting your workplace involved.