SCDAA and Phi Beta Sigma Team Up To Boost Awareness, Education

Note: This story was updated March 29, 2022, to remove a reference to Phi Beta Sigma as the oldest honor society in the nation. Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest honor society.

The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA) and the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity have teamed up to boost awareness and raise funds to foster education on sickle cell disease.

The Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity will help raise funds and mobilize blood and bone marrow drives. It will also work with SCDAA to raise awareness about the physical, economic, and social challenges sickle cell patients face.

“SCDAA is excited to again partner with the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, and we are honored to have been chosen as a recipient of their donations,” Regina Hartfield, president and CEO of SCDAA, said in a press release. “Phi Beta Sigma is deeply committed to serving and supporting the community, as is SCDAA. Their support will go far to benefit those living with sickle cell disease.”

SCD, an inherited blood disorder that causes painful and sometimes life-threatening complications, affects around 100,000 U.S. residents.

Patients often require red blood cell transfusions that can help reduce anemia and other disease symptoms and prevent other complications. Bone marrow transplants remain the only potential cure for SCD, but patients must be closely matched with donors.

Phi Beta Sigma will foster collaborations between its local branches and the American Red Cross to host several initiatives, including blood drives and the Be The Match Registry, the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world, which works to connect those searching for a cure with bone marrow donors.

Local Phi Beta Sigma branches will also conduct screenings to aid both adolescents and adults in detecting SCD. Fundraisers will be launched to help raise money for sickle cell research, education, and children’s services.

“SCDAA is proud to continue its partnership with Phi Beta Sigma … in raising awareness about sickle cell disease,” Thomas L. Johnson, chair of the SCDAA board of directors, said. “Its dedication to the mission of SCDAA is exemplary of providing support and assistance for those in need.”