WILMINGTON, Del. – Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) attended the official kickoff of Hispanic Heritage Month in Delaware at the Latin American Community Center’s Manuelita Olson Building on Friday, September 13, the Calle 4 Hispanic Parade held by Nuestras Raices on Saturday, September 14, and the Hispanic Heritage Festival held by Hoy en Delaware on Sunday, September 15.
It was a whirlwind of culture, music, food and dance, and it was an opportunity to reconnect with a segment of the community Blood Bank of Delmarva has lost touch with.
The September 13 event began with “Straight Talk with Maria Matos,” a chance to sit down with the LACC Executive Director and ask her any questions. Blood Bank of Delmarva Communications Specialist Tony Prado used the opportunity to ask how BBD could increase Hispanic donors. Hispanic Americans are 10 percent of the State of Delaware’s population, but they represent just 2 percent of blood donors at BBD, despite modest gains in the last few years. As Director, Community and Stakeholder Relations Yadira Navarro said, increasing genetic diversity in the donor pool leads to better outcomes for patients in general.
Matos said educating the community about the importance of donating blood was vitally important, and she expressed optimism that improvements could be made. For instance, she cited how there is no shortage of blood donors in the American, island territory of her native Puerto Rico.
Matos also encouraged BBD to diversify its workforce, ensuring that Hispanic staffers were on hand to help welcome the community. Prado noted that there are a number of employees of Latin origin, including himself, Navarro, Supervisor, Collections Jackeline Rivera, Account Manager Gia Rivera, and Blood Collection Techs Mayra Colunga-Lopez, Mariana Santana-Ruiz, Luis Bustos, Kaylee Torres, Ciara Quinones, and Emily Soto.
In addition, LACC Director of Development Kelly Scanlan suggested a blood drive in the future during one of the LACC’s myriad of events, next year.
After the Straight Talk with Maria Matos, she led a ceremony that included such VIPs as State Senators Nicole Saville Poore (an O negative blood donor), Bryan Townsend, Tizzy Lockman and Sarah McBride, State Representative Sherry Dorsey-Walker, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, Wilmington City Councilwoman Maria Cabrera, candidate for State Representative Josue Ortega, and Yvette Santiago, an administrator with Nemours Children’s Hospital.
At the Hispanic Parade on Saturday, Prado continued the Donor Engagement department’s outreach efforts by mtalking to India Colon and William Resto, festival organizers with Nuestras Raices Delaware, about expanding BBD’s foothold in the Hispanic community. He also approached Miss Hispanic Delaware Katherine Figueroa about helping with social media outreach into the Hispanic enclave. Last but not least, Tanya Muñiz Negrón asked Prado to take part in the second annual St. Paul’s Church 5k Walk/Run.
Similarly, at Hoy en Delaware’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration held at Rockford Park, Prado touched base with Carolina Lopez, who spreads awareness about Nicaraguan culture, and Leslie Cordoba, a local pageant holder, Miss Petite HispanoAmerica USA 2024, from the Mexican-American community in Sussex County, and local Mexican-American singer Seylin Abarca, who sang the American and Mexican national anthems at the Hispanic Heritage Festival held at Rockford Park.
Special thanks to Hoy en Delaware newspaper Publisher Jose Somalo and Editor Virginia Esteban for inviting BBD to the seventh annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, to Scanlan for inviting BBD to the LACC, and Colon and Resto for inviting BBD to the parade.
Hispanic Heritage Month runs every year from September 15 to October 15. Next stops will be the LACC Grand Ball and New Castle County’s Latin Food Festival in October.
