How do you start preparation to the Donor day in the Gnesin Academy?
Theatre begins at the cloakroom, while the Donor day starts from the poster. There is a wonderful designer in our team, Anna Mahortova, she surprises me every time. We usually create poster according to the season or upcoming event.
What is the most important part in your preparation?
I assume, it is information process. We have to face several tasks at once – attract new donors, explain how important regular donation are, remind about contraindications and meal restrictions before donation.
How do you assign roles in a team?
Musicians are creative, they can hardly manage the time. We have rather big volunteer team, so everyone can choose what he likes, try his hands in many directions and find the most interesting.
You pay many attention to details: merchandise, information materials, gifts. It all costs money. How do you attract funds to your events?
First of all, we would like to thank you the Moscow Resource Center for Blood Donation and the Charity Foundation “Obraz zhizni”, these organisations help us a lot with handouts. Our Academy help us with the rest, our rector, Galina Vasilyevna Mayarovskaya, and the vice-rector, Ivan Ivanovich Kozlov, always support the movement.
How do students join the donor movement? Could you share with us their stories?
With pleasure! One of the most memorable stories – a girl, who came to donate blood was refused because of weight restrictions. She changed the diet, started coming to our events, checking the weight and one day she fit. I will never forget the expression of happiness on her face when she finally donated blood! Now she is our regular donor and volunteer. I also came to the donation thanks to a good example - my mother is an honorary donor of Russia. Since childhood, I remember her donor card. As I am getting older, I realized an importance and responsibility of this decision.
The Gnesins Academy of Music is artistic and you have creative approach to promoting blood donation. Please tell us, how does art help you to attract people to the movement?
We joke about precious musical blood and truly believe, that it may help people discover themselves creative abilities. And they start singing, playing music or just attending our concerts.
Do you continue working on holidays, in summer?
Unfortunately, not. There are many students from other cities in our Academy, so they travel home in summer. And we always inform them about other donation centers.
And our traditional question: what would you say to donors and those who are just going to participate?
I wish your hemoglobin to be stable and health to your relatives and friends! No matter, if you can not become a donor, the donor movement will always need volunteers and health promoters.