HOUSTON: HopeLink Initiative is a youth-led nonprofit with a mission to raise awareness about stem-cell donation peripheral ( from blood not marrow )and help more people join the donor registry. It focuses on reaching communities that are underrepresented on registries, so more patients may have a chance to find a suitable donor.
Texas high school student Vikram Varanasi founded HopeLink to turn concern for patients into community action. Since then, the organization has held 50 plus registration drives, more than 575 registrants and more than 350 ambassadors have stepped up to support its mission. New volunteers and chapters continue to join as HopeLink grows.
HopeLink chapters are active at several Houston-area high schools, including Dulles, Elkins, Clements, Hightower, Travis, Jordan, and Westlake. The organization also has chapters and groups in Frisco, Atlanta, New York, California, New Jersey, Singapore and Taiwan. In India, its network includes groups in Hyderabad, Surat, and Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag. These chapters help students bring HopeLink’s mission to their own communities.
At its drives, volunteers partner with schools, colleges, companies and community groups to explain the registry and invite people to learn more. At Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in Surat, India, 163 people registered. A Florida drive at a business convention brought in more than 100 registrants.
registered.
HopeLink encourages people to make an informed choice. Joining a registry does not mean someone will automatically be asked to donate. A registrant may be contacted if identified as a potential match, and the patient’s medical team decides whether to move forward. HopeLink directs people to its registry partners for information about the process.
HopeLink encourages people to make an informed choice. Joining a registry does not mean someone will automatically be asked to donate. A registrant may be contacted if identified as a potential match, and the patient’s medical team decides whether to move forward. HopeLink directs people to its registry partners for information about the process. HopeLink connects communities with established donor registries including NMDP, DKMS, and DATRI. HopeLink educates, organizes registration drives, and helps people take the first step.
Through its ambassadors, chapters, and drives, HopeLink is building awareness across communities and countries. The organization welcomes students, schools, colleges, community groups, and volunteers who want to get involved. Readers can learn about the mission, find a chapter, host a drive, or explore joining the registry at https://hopelinkinitiative.org/