$6 Million Raised for New Cord Blood Bank in Australia

otary International has raised $6 million for the construction of a new cord blood in Perk, Australia. The project was launched in 2004 and after seven long years of fundraising, the new cord blood bank is ready for construction.

$2 million was donated by Lottery West, a government-supervised gaming agency. $1.2 million was raised by Rotary International itself, while the rest came from a wide range of other donors. The money raised will be used to cover the construction costs and new equipment. It will also contribute to the bank’s operating costs for the first four years.

This will be the fourth cord blood bank to be built in Australia, contributing to the country’s ever-growing need for cord blood transplants. Currently, there are over 1000 patients across the country searching for donors. The new cord blood bank seeks to satisfy this need.

“The [Western Australia] cord blood program will be able to help fill the gaps in the national cord blood registry by focusing on the unique ethnic mixes in this community,” Lazzaro says.

The bank is expected to be finished construction within the month, at which time families in the area can begin banking their children’s cord blood.

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