|
|
CBC/Vectren
award Lead the Way scholarships
Campaigns use humor, empathy to inspire blood donors
DAYTON, Ohio - Thoughtful, inspirational, and fun! Five area high
school seniors demonstrated all these qualities and more in their
winning blood drive recruitment campaigns for the annual Community
Blood Center/Vectren Lead The Way Creative Scholarship competition.
The 2016 Lead The Way Scholarship winners are: Danielle Swabb from
Covington High School, Karson Mahaney from Miami East High School, Maya
Wills from Houston High School, Bridget Douglas from Bishop Fenwick
High School, and Sarah Henry from Graham High School. Each will
receive a $1,000 award from Vectren for college tuition assistance.
Scholarship applicants must be graduating, college-bound seniors from a
school that hosts a CBC blood drive. They are challenged to
develop an effective blood drive marketing campaign with a clever theme
and slogan, and creatively designed marketing materials.
Danielle Swabb, Covington High School: “Blood Donors: The Next
Generation”
Danielle Swabb’s theme borrows from the “Star Trek: The Next
Generation” TV series. The artwork for her t-shirt design combined a
spacecraft insignia with the CBC blood drop logo. Danielle
represents a third generation of active blood donors in her family, and
being part of a donor legacy is the inspiration for her message.
“I wish to uphold this tradition, and I know in my heart, that I, and
my family, have made a difference in the world,” she said. “I
hope my theme inspires my classmates to step up, save lives, and become
the next generation of blood donors.”
Danielle would like to be a teacher and plans to study Spanish
education at Wright State University.
Karson Mahaney, Miami East High School: “Stick it to Me – I Can Take
It!”
Karson Mahaney is a Miami East senior from Troy who says, “Sometimes a
joke is just what you need to lighten the mood.” Her “Stick it to
Me – I Can Take It” slogan with a Kokopelli stick figure t-shirt design
is playful, but it has a serious side. “I always known I
was going to give blood because it saved my brother’s life,” she said.
“I think it inspires toughness,” she said of the confident challenge in
her theme. “I have donated blood five times now, and not once have I
enjoyed the pinch of the needle as it goes into my arm. But I tough it
out. This slogan makes you feel brave and strong.”
Karson will study exercise science at Eastern Michigan University and
plans to become a physical therapist.
Maya Wills, Houston High School: “Share Your Life… Share Your Blood”
Maya Wills is a Houston High School senior from Sidney. She
impressed the judges with her empathetic slogan “Share Your Life...
Share Your Blood” and the originality of her artwork. Her t-shirt
design features two figures connected by a single arm with the color
red flowing from one to the other.
“It creates a connection between the donor and recipient,” she said.
“As a seven time donor myself, I always wonder where my blood goes, who
received it and how their life is bettered by my actions.”
Maya says thanks to technology, her generation understands they are
more “connected” to others around the globe than ever before. Her
theme builds on this understanding. “It encourages my classmates to
donate by showing they that there is more connection out there between
people than just through technology.”
Maya will study marine biology at Bowling Green University and hopes to
work in animal rescue and ocean research.
Bridget Douglas, Bishop Fenwick High School: “Donate Today and Be All
That and a Bag of Blood”
One of the challenges of the Lead The Way Scholarship is to think
outside the box. Bridget Douglas, a Bishop Fenwick High senior
from Franklin, did just that. Her irreverent, laugh-out-loud
theme, “Donate Today and be All that and a Bag of Blood” with its
simple blood bag t-shirt design caught attention.
“Modeled after that famous saying, ‘All that and a bag of chips,’ I
tweaked it to fit by campaign,” she said. She knew her classmates
would get the joke, but she wasn’t just going for laughs. She wanted
them to see the harmony in blood donors being aware of their own health
as they help others in need.
“What most people don’t know about giving blood is that it can also
benefit the donor,” she said. “You are not only benefitting someone in
need, but checking up on your own body. Blood is constantly needed and
everyone’s contribution doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Bridget plans to study secondary education and English at Ohio
University.
Sarah Henry, Graham High School: “Give Blood, It Saves Lives No Matter
the Language You Speak”
Sarah Henry lives in St. Paris and is a senior at Graham High
School. Her campaign embraced a world view of people connected
through blood donations. Her t-shirt artwork featured small
multi-ethnic characters holding hands around a globe with the message,
“Give Blood, It Saves Lives No Matter the Language You Speak.”
To complete the theme, the back of the t-shirt features the words “Give
Blood” in nine different languages. It’s a campaign concept that
clearly reflects the diverse and multi-cultural world today’s teens
find in their schools and communities.
“I believe this slogan will appeal to a diverse group of students,” she
said.” She imagines changing the languages on the t-shirt to fit
different blood drives. “I believe the slogan helps to bridge perceived
barriers and illustrates people of different backgrounds coming
together to make a difference.”
Sarah will be pre-med student at The Ohio State University.
Samples of the scholarship winning artwork will be available at:
www.GivingBlood.org/giving-back/reward. The Lead The Way Creative
Scholarship for High School Seniors is made possible by a $5,000 grant
from Vectren.
Composite photo: Top, Left to Right: Douglas, Henry, Mahaney, Swabb,
Wills.
|
|
|
|
|
