UPDATE ( 9/19):

The three-day Justin Garza Blood and Marrow Registry Drive at Fresno State drew 1,274 participants, surpassing the goal of 1,000. The drive was completed yesterday, Sept. 18, with a total of 602 blood donors and 672 marrow registrants.

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UPDATE (5:30 p.m): Organizers of the  Justin Garza Blood and Marrow Registry Drive at Fresno State for the Be the Match for Justin Garza campaign  announced they  reached approximately 1,200 participants by the close of the three-day drive at 4 p.m., surpassing  their goal of 1,000.   (Official final count available Friday morning).  

The Justin Garza Blood and Marrow Registry Drive at Fresno State reached three-fourths of its goal of 1,000 donors and registrants heading into today, Sept. 18 — the final day of the drive.

The Be the Match for Justin Garza campaign to help the Central High School football coach and Fresno State alumnus resumes from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at four stations on campus. The campaign includes a PSA video made by Fresno State.

Garza was diagnosed in 2010 with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer that affects the body’s ability to fight infections. He has undergone 36 chemotherapy treatments and received a stem-cell transplant in 2013. He now needs a bone marrow transplant, inspiring the drive to help others in his situation.

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Faith Meyer (right), a Communications major who signed up for the bone marrow donation on campus Wednesday, poses with Fresno State student volunteer Marissa Muro, a Nursing major who was a student of Justin Garza when she attended Reedley High School.

The past two days, about 750 Fresno State students and employees have visited the mobiles parked around campus for blood draws and visited adjacent tents for marrow sign-ups, said Renee Delport, special events and projects coordinator of the University’s Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, a cosponsor of the campus campaign.

Garza’s mother Josie, a Fresno State alumna, was on campus Wednesday helping out as several Fresno State students — some who are Garza’s former students from Reedley and Central high schools — volunteered to help with the three-day drive.

“We have had about 750 participants so far and they have been representative of the diverse cultures we have at Fresno State, and in the community,” said Delport, who has been working closely with Tosha Giuffrida, interim director of Fresno State’s Learning Center, on the campaign.

With Hispanic Heritage Month in full swing and only 10 percent of the National Registry made up of Latinos, Garza is hoping to increase awareness in diverse communities.

“We hope the public will come out Thursday for our final day and support Mr. Garza’s campaign,” said Marissa Muro, a nursing major who graduated in 2009 from  Reedley High, where Garza was her biology teacher. “He has given so much to many people, especially young students.”

Prizes are being given to donors. The campus stations are:

  • University Student Union (in the Free Speech Area north of the Henry Madden Library)
  • Kremen Education building (at Maple and Shaw avenues)
  • Maple Mall (south of the Satellite Student Union)
  • Engineering East building (San Ramon and Jackson Drive, south of Barstow Avenue)

For more information, contact Giuffrida at 559.797.1173 (bethematch4justin@gmail.com) or Delport at 559.278.7063 (rdelport@csufresno.edu).

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