Posted by Haagen P. Cumlet

At least 17,000 units of blood were secured during blood drives in 2009 that were organized by Rotary clubs within the national French Rotary blood donor network Mon Sang pour les Autres/My Blood for Others, according to the network's national coordinator, PDG Jean-Claude Brocart. The figure includes 48 cities from 18 French Rotary districts. Outside mainland France, collects were organized in District 9200 (the overseas French departement of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean) and the West African district 9150 (Gabon). During the year, MSPLA spread to two more West African countries, Mali and Ivory Coast in District 9100.

 

Since its start in 1998 in the city of Toulouse, District 1700, Mon Sang pour les Autres/My Blood for Others, founded by Jean-Claude Brocart, has become a leading national Rotary event in France with blood drives in various cities spread out over the year.

 

"Our action progresses regularly, year after year, by mobilizing more and more Rotarians, proud to contribute to save lives by applying the motto (of Rotary International) Service above Self," Jean-Claude Brocart wrote in the December MSPLA newsletter.

 

The year-end tally may not be the final figure, insofar organizers in some cities "forgot to inform about their results". MSPLA hopes henceforward to improve on the statistics, region by region, with the help of the national French Blood Service (l'Etablissement Francais du Sang, EFS).

 

Of the 17,000 donors, 25 per cent were newcomers. All in all, 20,800 individuals wanted to give blood at MSPLA blood drives; 3,800 were rejected for one reason or the other.

 

In September 2009, the Rotary clubs in Districts 1520 and 1670 signed a framework agreement for partnership with the national French Blood Service, EFS, and the Conference of High Schools, in the hope that even more students over the age of 16 will be motivated to become voluntary blood donors.

 

Editor's footnotes:

 

PDG Jean-Claude Brocart, founder and national coordinator of MSPLA, is a member of Rotary-Club de Toulouse-Ovalie, District 1700. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Global Network for Blood Donation, a Rotarian Action Group. Jean-Claude Brocart can be contacted at the e-mail address jc.brocart@free.fr

 

Comments regarding this article can be mailed to editor@ourblooddrive.org.

 

 

Go to DOWNLOADS for the statistics or click here. 

 

At this website, see also related articles Cycling around the World forBlood Donation (posted Dec. 15, 2009); A Beautiful Action in the PublicInterest (posted Sept. 9, 2009);  My Blood for Others in France (updated April 23, 2009);  New Blood Donor Organization Asked Rotaryfor Help (posted January 2009);  French Rotary Blood Drive Spreads toAfrica (posted July 20, 2008); Blood Donor Drive in France (posted January 22, 2007).