Consulate seeks organ, blood, bone marrow donors among Hispanics

The Mexican Consulate in Yuma has kicked off its campaign to recruit blood, organ and bone marrow donors among the area's Hispanics.

The consulate's Institute for Mexicans Abroad will be enlisting the help of organizations and individuals in recruiting donors, said Flor Redondo, who is coordinating the campaign for the institute along with Mily Gomez.

"We have always had interest in doing something so that our people would participate more in organ donation, because personally we have had family members who needed donations, and we know how hard it is to get donors," Redondo said.

In numerous areas around the Yuma area, the institute will make available donor registration forms provided by the Arizona Donor Network, an organization whose mission is promoting organ donation.

The institute also wants to help to expand on donor recruitment efforts that people in the area are already doing, among them Luis Marquez, a San Luis police officer, Redondo said.

"There's not an effort nor a permanent site where people can go to donate in our communities, and we need something permanent," Redondo said.

Another proposal is to create a blood bank that would serve the Yuma area as well as neighboring San Luis Rio Colorado, Son. Redondo and Gomez said they plan to meet to discuss the idea with Perla Peralta, president of the Mexican border city's chapter of Integrated Family Development, a social service agency in Mexico.

"We are all the same community," Redondo said. "Our people come and go, and we need to have the resources to attend to them here or there."

For more information about donating, call 627-1060 or 314-9454.