Success: 160 People Register As Bone Marrow Donors

“This is an impressive sign of how we at Bertelsmann stand up for each other and for others.” With these words, Bertelsmann CEO Hartmut Ostrowski paid tribute last Friday to 160 colleagues who took part in a Corporate Center Works Council registration campaign for the German Bone Marrow Donor Center (DKMS) in cooperation with the company medical service. 

In connection with recent events, the Corporate Center Works Council called on staff to provide a small blood sample for the DKMS on Feb 25. The €50 lab fees for the DKMS to test the blood of each employee who works at the Corporate Center were paid for by the company. Among them were units of Gütersloher Verlagshaus , Arvato Systems, Medienfabrik , Direct Group, Cultina and the Bertelsmann BKK (company health insurance). Colleagues from the Bertelsmann Stiftung ( Foundation) also had their tests paid for by their management. 

“We expected 130 people to register - but some people came at short notice and it ended up being 160, which we’re even happier with, of course,” says Guido Rieckhaus , head of the Corporate Center Works Council. He and four Works Council colleagues were there from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. helping participants complete the necessary DKMS forms. “We were very pleased to be able to support the campaign from the beginning, and worked with the Corporate Center HR department to prepare it.” He especially praised the respective managements for immediately agreeing to pay the costs of testing their employees. “This really is partnership in action,” says Rieckhaus .

Liu Sing-Lung, who managed the campaign for the DKMS, was equally enthusiastic about the employees’ high level of response. “The participation rate was significantly higher than in comparable campaigns at other companies,” says Sing-Lung. He was pleased that the DKMS was able to gain so many potential new stem cell donors and at the same time that the respective companies had funded the campaign so generously. “We mustn’t forget that in Germany 32 people contract leukemia every day,” stressed the DKMS employee. Fortunately, he added, public awareness of the issue is on the rise. “A bone marrow typing campaign like this one at Bertelsmann creates a tremendous multiplier effect that helps us a lot – and will hopefully also help as many patients as possible.” 

If you also want to register with the DKMS, take a look at the DKMS website at www.dkms.de. You can register there as well and simultaneously request a swab test kit with which you can obtain a saliva sample to send back to the DKMS for evaluation. The DKMS asks for a donation to fund the testing of this sample, which costs them €50 – but the sample will of course be typed and entered in the database in any case

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