The Chi Nu Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish Fraternity at CSUN, hosted an informational table in front of the campus bookstore during the week of Oct. 14 to raise awareness about the Gift of Life Marrow Registry, which aims to cure blood cancer through cellular therapy.
Troy Horowitz, a representative of Alpha Epsilon Pi, led the table the morning of Oct. 15, with fellow representative Daniel Armin assisting and engaging with students.
They explained that the main purpose of the table was to encourage passersby to swab their cheeks and send their DNA to Gift of Life to determine if they were a match for a blood cancer patient, potentially saving the patient’s life through either blood or bone marrow donation.
“If they need a blood donation from you, they’ll call you up, and they’ll fly you out to wherever you need to be, you’ll donate blood, and that’s it. You’ll help save someone’s life with blood cancer,” said Horowitz.
The fraternity offered a variety of free items to participants who swabbed, including T-shirts featuring the phrase “Best Cheeks on Campus,” along with bracelets, pens, and foam footballs.
According to Horowitz, Alpha Epsilon Pi at CSUN has partnered with Gift of Life for at least seven years, and this partnership has always kept a good connection. He also mentioned a story regarding an individual who got selected by Gift of Life to donate.
“Someone who swabbed here got flown out to Florida for a week. He gave blood, and he helped save someone’s life.” Horowitz added that this trip was “all expenses paid and completely free” for the donor.
The table was stationed on campus from Oct. 14-16, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00p.m. Horowitz stated that the target demographic was men, as they are more likely to match with blood cancer patients. He expressed excitement about the level of participation stating that more than 100 individuals had swabbed at the table.
“All of us would bring it home to our families or roommates or to coworkers and try to get them to do it, but just from the table, we are doing pretty food, which is nice because it shows students are showing up,” said Horowitz.
As the day progressed, the table became increasingly busy as multiple groups of students arrived to swab their cheeks.
Another student, Daniel Alarvez, shared his thoughts on the event’s impact.
“I think it brings us all together, we’re all here for one cause. It just shows our commitment to the community, no matter what because no one else is willing to do this,” said Alvarez.
For more information on how to swab for Gift of Life, check out their registry link at: https://www.giftoflife.org/swab
To follow the latest events and happenings from The Chi Nu Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi at CSUN, check out their Instagram page.
