Organization Name: Trillium Gift of Life Network
Industry: Public Health
Contact: Leona Hollingsworth, Media Relations Advisor
Web Reference: http://www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/, www.BeADonor.ca
Description of how social media is used for business performance
Awareness about organ donation over the past four months has spread with positive intensity and it all started with a video request from one very brave woman, Hélène Campbell.
Campbell is recovering nicely after her April 6th lung transplant surgery. The 21 year old, Ottawa woman is already, under the watchful eye of physio therapists, exercising and walking on a treadmill. She is out of the hospital and staying in her ‘home away from home’ in Toronto.
If you don’t recognize her name, Campbell’s amazing journey reached social media fame when she pushed to the forefront the #BeAnOrganDonor movement with a YouTube video and Twitter posting back in January of this year.
The ripple effect of her tweet to none other than chart topping, heartthrob, and local Stratford native, Justin Bieber has catapulted awareness of organ donation to a new level. Bieber himself retweeted a shout out of support for Campbell to his millions of Twitter followers.
According to Gift of Life, the provincial organization behind www.BeADonor.ca, online registrations rose even days after Bieber’s retweet. As of January 26th, 1,567 online registrations were received and after further media coverage in February, including an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show, online registrations rose even higher to 3,227. The weekend following the March 30th declaration as Hélène Campbell Day in Ottawa, online registrations reached nearly 900.
Lessons for others
“The power and potential of social media to change culture is extraordinary and we’ve been working ourselves to harness that opportunity. We recently launched a similar program, the Gift of 8 Movement, that allows individuals and organizations in Ontario to demonstrate their support for organ and tissue donation and encourage their family, friends and colleagues to register their consent through www.BeADonor.ca to help save lives.” said Ronnie Gavsie, Gift of Life, President and CEO.
Hélène Campbell’s efforts reinforce in us the power of one and truly demonstrate the power of social media to motivate social change. Signing your donor card is one step, be sure to make it official by registering online. Keep using social media to spread awareness about organ donation and you too can save a life!
Submitted By: Veronica Naas
To contact the author of this entry please email at: vnaas@uwaterloo.ca
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