[Special Issue] Shincheonji 'Live ON' blood donation campaign: “Thank you for stepping in during a national crisis”
📰Since the launch of the blood donation campaign, '18,478 donors' have participated over 2 weeks. The blood donation campaign by Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is purposed to resolve the blood supply crisis in South Korea, has achieved an unprecedented phenomenon. The amount of blood donated exceeds more than 3 times the average daily supply of blood across all medical institutions in Korea. This blood donation has significantly helped to resolve the national blood crisis - including supply and demand - that had persisted since the beginning of this year due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The previous 3-day blood supply levels has now far exceeded the required 5-day supply, soaring to a 5.9 day supply.
✦ “Great help in resolving the national blood supply crisis”
✦ Blood Management headquarters relieved to secure stable amount
✦ Shincheonji 'Live ON' Blood Donation Campaign
✦ Initial target of 6,000 donors tripled
✦ 27,000 people participated, 18,000 donated blood
[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Su-kyung Kang] To resolve the blood supply crisis in South Korea, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman Man-hee Lee), which launched a blood donation campaign for two weeks, from the 18th of last month to the 1st of this month, exceeded the expected target of 6,000 donors with a total donation by 18,478 church members. A total of 27,026 people participated in the group blood donation.
According to the blood management headquarters of the Korean Red Cross, Shincheonji is the only organisation to have had so many donors giving blood within a short 14-day period. Their blood donation is equivalent to 3.5 days of blood reserves. The average amount of blood used daily by medical institutions across Korea is equivalent to one day's blood supply, or 5029 units of blood. The voluntary blood donation by members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus has been of great help in resolving the national blood supply shortage that had been persisting since the beginning of the year. Following the 1st day of Shincheonji Church of Jesus' group blood donation, national blood storage levels in Korea rose sharply to 5.9 days, thereby resolving the crisis.
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| Members of Shincheonji John tribe wait in line to participate in the blood donation service outside the Gyeonggi Blood Center of the Korean Red Cross in Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, on the 18th of last month |
◆ Purposed to “resolve the blood supply crisis”
The blood donation campaign was launched with the purpose of resolving the blood crisis that was exacerbated due to the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Due to the Omicron pandemic, it was impossible to predict how much blood would be donated, given health and other limiting factors following a positive case. Thus, an appeal for 6000 donors was made.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus conducted its nationwide 'Live ON' blood donation campaign, encouraging its church members to donate as much as blood as possible, given the average total of 40% of ineligible donors. As a result, on the 18th of last month, when the blood donation campaign was launched, about 3,000 people turned up on-site to donate and 2,000 people actually donated blood.
Shincheonji Church members voluntarily went to the blood donation site upon hearing news of the national blood crisis. Not only they, but also their families participated in this group blood donation, achieving an unprecedented result of 18,478 donors in two weeks.
This has happened amid the fact that a total of 6,000 Shincheonji Church members donated three rounds of blood plasma for the development of a treatment for COVID-19 upon the request of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency at the time of the initial outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, when there was no vaccine or treatment. Even at that time, despite enduring the after-effects of Covid-19 and the subsequent psychological strains, all the members of the church took steps to overcome the national crisis and garnered attention not only at home, but also abroad.
◆ Both blood donation cards and blood donation certificates donated
To encourage the voluntary participation of members for the blood donation campaign, workers of duty from the headquarters of the General Assembly and the 74 churches nationwide took the lead in donating blood from the first day of the group blood donation.
The success of this group blood donation has depended on members, from the most experienced blood donors to those donating for the first time, gathering their hearts. 16 donors from the blood donation campaign have donated blood more than 100 times, with the biggest donor being Byung-hyuk Choi of Ulsan Church, who gave blood 538 times and has been inducted into the Blood Management Headquarters' 'Hall of Fame'.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus plans to donate all blood donation cards and certificates earned through the two-week campaign to the Korean Red Cross on the 9th May. Shincheonji Church of Jesus provided its participating members the option to do so, and the donation certificates collected to date are worth the equivalent of 100 million Korean won (c.£65,000).
An official from the Blood Centre said, “Many members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus are participating to resolve the blood supply crisis. We are far exceeding the required daily target, which no other organisation has achieved.”
Another official said, “I was deeply moved when 6,000 members of the church donated plasma for the development of a treatment for COVID-19 in 2020. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, who has stepped forward at the time of a national crisis.”
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