Interview with Nelly Chomyakova

The employees of the largest Russian international airport “Sheremetyevo”, with route network covering more than 200 directions, have been regularly participating in donor actions since 2008. The Chairman of the Primary Trade Union Organization of Workers of the JSC Sheremetyevo International Airport Nelly Khomyakova told us how the airport management supports the donor movement.

What are the peculiarities of the socially-charitable donor campaign “Ot serdtsa k serdtsu”, regularly held in the company since 2008?

The Sheremetyevo International Airport is one of the largest employers in the Moscow Region with a staff of over 17 thousand people. We actively attract our employees to participate in social and charity events. Sheremetyevo has been a participant of the charity campaign for volunteer donors “Ot serdtsa k serdtsu” since 2008. More than 4 thousand of employees took part in the campaign over the entire period. The proponents of the Sheremetyevo cooperation with the Blood Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency were the Primary Trade Union Organization of Workers, which I have chaired since 2003, and the Airport Public Relations Directorate with its Director Anna Zakharenkova.

At the present moment, the internal communications department, the trade union organization and the Sheremetyevo medical unit provide donor actions and the involvement of workers in it.

I assume, the peculiarity of donor events at Sheremetyevo is a high level of informational and emotional support to employees. We discuss in detail the requirements before and after the donation with the participants, determine a convenient range of time, and other organizational matters. We pay special attention to employees becoming donors for the first time.

The company was awarded the All-Russian Prize for its contribution in the development of blood donation “SoUchastiye”. What brought you this award?

The airport was awarded by the third place in the nomination “For the Contribution in the Development of Blood Donation” of the VI All-Russian Prize “SoUchastiye” among companies implementing volunteer initiatives. Our project is distinguished by a systematic approach, as well as the active involvement of employees of subsidiaries and other organizations working at the airport.

How much has the number of participants in the “Ot serdtsa k serdtsu” campaign increased since its inception? What is the main motivation for employees?

The number of participants in our campaigns has doubled. The first action in 2008 was joined by 170 airport employees. Now about 360 people take part in the action annually. We have many initiative people who are regular donors in our company. Their main motivation is the opportunity to help those who urgently need a transfusion of blood components. It is important for us to personally note the employee’s involvement. After the donation, each donor receives a rose as a symbol of the “Ot serdtsa k serdtsu” promotion, as well as a thematic souvenir. Also, each donor is expected to have snack and something to drink prepared by the union.

How do you organize the blood donation process at the airport, with the impressive number of employees, the shift schedule of their work and the distances between various divisions of the air harbor?

To ensure maximum participation we place special section on donation on the corporate website during the campaign. Information is also published in the corporate newspaper “Nash aeroport”, posted on information boards in production units, distributed by e-mail and provided to employees through line managers.

We try to provide the most comfortable conditions for our donors. As employees work in shifts, the action is held for two days. Donors are received in a spacious hall, which allows you to simultaneously place 10 seats. Regular donors prefer from year to year the same doctors and nurses of the visiting team of the Blood Center, trusting their professionalism.

What employees most often become donors?

About 60% of donors are employees of production units and 40% are administrative staff.

Did you face any difficulties in the process of launching the donor campaign, how did you solve them?

One of the difficulties was the insufficient attention of employees to nutrition in preparation for donation. That is why many of them were denied by medical reasons. To minimize this indicator, the internal communications service conducts an information campaign three weeks before the event, telling employees how to properly prepare for blood donation, which diseases are absolute and temporary contraindications. As a result, there has been a recent reduction in the number of rejections for medical reasons.

What would you say to donors and those who are just going to participate?

The best thing each of us can do is to help preserve human life and health. On behalf of the airport and the Sheremetyevo trade union, we thank all participants in the donor movement for voluntary participation in a charity event.

Other interviews

30.06.21

Interview with Elena Gubanova

This year the project "Quarantine is not an obstacle to a responsible donor" by the Stavropol Regional Blood Transfusion Station became a laureate of the All-Russian competition of professional skills of the Blood Service in the category "Best poster" in the nomination "Do not miss the important." Elena Gubanova, PR manager of the Blood Service of the Stavropol Territory, talks about the project and the specifics of communication during the pandemic period.

12.05.21

Interview with Inna Sakhno

The donor movement of the Moscow University for the Humanities is more than twenty years old. Inna Sakhno is a Chairperson of the Student Council of the Moscow University for the Humanities. She told us about Donor Days and changes during the pandemic.

27.04.21

Interview with Anastasia Akhlamova

Students of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University actively participate in the student donor movement. Anastasia Akhlamova, one of the donor movement leaders of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University, a 4th-year student of the Faculty of Clinical and Special Psychology, told us about how it was possible to survive the introduction of restrictive measures during a period of increased epidemiological danger.

19.03.21

Interview with Gulnara Letfullina

It is always teamwork to organize donor actions and events. Gulnara Letfullina, chairman of the donor team "Nadezhda" told us about the organization, arose from a small group of like-minded donors at the A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry.

19.02.21

Interview with Olga Valerievna Eichler

The Blood Service has been at front of the fight against coronavirus infection in 2020. The selfless work of doctors in clinics, the saving of patients - all this would be impossible without timely provision of medical institutions with donated blood. To achieve a common goal, it was required to restructure the work of the entire Blood Service in the shortest possible time, to find quick and effective solutions. Olga Valerievna Eichler, Head of the Department of Medical Support for Conversion and Extreme Work and the Blood Service of the FMBA of Russia, spoke about how the work was organized in this difficult time.

22.01.21

Interview with Igor Kastyukevich

2020 has become a challenging year for the donor movement. During the pandemic, the number of donors has decreased. But it also created a new movement, blood donors responded to the call #BeaDonor. Igor Kastyukevich, deputy head of the ONF Executive Committee tells us about and what this year was remembered for.

05.12.20

Interview with Elena Stefanyuk

Donor's breakfast is complicated and reluctant at the same time topic for donors. The list of prohibited products before a donation is quite long. Therefore, drawing up a donor's breakfast menu is almost a challenge. How to make a balanced, interesting and tasty menu? Donors regularly ask themselves this question. Apparently, this is the reason for the activity and creativity of the participants in the donor contest. How the competition was organized and held, why healthy eating habits are so important for blood donors, and is there an ideal donor's menu - Elena Stefanyuk answers, Director of the National Fund for Health Development, Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating Council for Blood Donation at the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.

26.11.20

Interview with Galina Kobzeva

Each year on October 20th, Worldchefs celebrates International Chefs Day. The "Donor's Breakfast" competition was held in the branch of the Penza College of Food Industry and Commerce in the village of Shemysheika, with the participation of the Penza Regional Clinical Blood Center and the regional newspaper "Novoye Vremya". Galina Vladimirovna Kobzeva, head of the Donor's Breakfast project and executive secretary of the Novoye Vremya newspaper told about this competition and the importance of nutrition for blood donors.

23.09.20

Interview with Irina Razinkina

The number of donors has declined sharply in the Blood Service institutions during the pandemic, but the Spartak football club came to the patients' rescue. The Red and White ones managed to quickly organize and carry out the event "Dignity is in our blood", the players and fans of the club responded to the call and saved many lives. Irina Razinkina, the head of the "SPARTAK for Children" Foundation, told us about the details of campaign.

06.07.20

Interview with Lyudmila Ramkulova

The Irkutsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station prepared a series of videos about their fellow countrymen, famous people, united by one idea - blood donation. The "Usual Day" project became the winner in the "Best Video" category of the All-Russian competition of Blood Service professional skills. Lyudmila Ramkulova, a specialist at the Irkutsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station, has told us about the project.

23.06.20

Interview with Elena Gubanova

An information booklet about women’s donation was presented by The Stavropol Regional Blood Transfusion Station to the All-Russian Competition of the Professionalism of the Blood Service. It became one of the winners. Elena Gubanova, pr manager of the Stavropol Regional Blood Transfusion Station will tell us about creation and development of the “Women’s Donation” project.

15.06.20

Interview with Alexander Bashminov

The video “A Hero on the court - a Hero in Life” won in the category “Best Video” of the All-Russian contest of professionalism of the Blood Service by the Perm Regional Blood Transfusion Station. It is about donor athletes and was made together with the Parma Basketball Club. Alexander Bashminov, General Director of Parma Basketball Club, talks about how this project was implemented and cooperation with the Perm Regional Blood Transfusion Station.

25.05.20

Interview with Tigran Muradyan

A large donor campaign “Good in our blood” called by the organizers the most unusual in the history of the university’s donor movement was held on 16-17 and 20-24th of April in the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University. Tigran Muradyan, the head of the medical department and lieder of the donor movement of the university since 2010 told us how to conduct donor activities during combat against the spread of coronavirus infection.

16.04.20

Interview with Maxim Galimov

The Sverdlovsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station has become one of the winners of the All-Russian Blood Service Professional Skill Competition. The project “Rodnaya krov'”* won second place in the nomination “Hearts beat as one”, as one of the best projects in the field of blood donation and its components, implemented by blood service institutions together with non-profit organizations. Maxim Galimov, deputy chief physician for the medical department of the Sverdlovsk Regional Blood Transfusion Station told us how family values and ties help in the development of blood donation, how a long-term partnership with the Orthodox Charity Service brings spiritual meaning to donor campaigns.

27.03.20

Interview with Tamara Mamontova

The project “Vagon blagodarnosti” by the Novosibirsk Clinical Center received a special prize “for an innovative approach highlighting the donation” at the All-Russian Blood Service Professional Skill Competition. Tamara Mamontova, pr manager of the Novosibirsk Clinical Blood Center, tells about how the Novosibirsk Blood Service presented its 80-year history to the subway passengers.

25.02.20

Interview with Irina Pavlenko

UNICONF — is the largest confectionery Holding in the Eastern Europe, it unites 19 Russian factories with 22 thousand of employees. Donor days held in the holding since 2012 as part of the project “Helping Children Is Easy” have already become an integral part of corporate culture. Irina Pavlenko, pr manager and the organizer of donor actions in UNICONF, tells us about their organization.

10.01.20

Interview with Denis Sinyaev

People deciding to devote part of their lives to blood donation seek support - from friends, colleagues, public organizations. Only few people know about state programs created to help the social undertakings of volunteers. One such program is the Presidential Grants Fund, the foundation that helped the graduate of Kursk Southwestern University Denis Sinyaev to create a blood donor club, the “Alaya liniya”.

10.12.19

Interview with Konstantin Pashkov

Donor movement in the transport industry is at the highest level. Officials from the Ministry of Transport donate blood twice a year at their office and participate in campaigns. Director of the Administrative Department of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation Konstantin Pashkov told us about the growing popularity of blood donation among transport workers.

27.11.19

Interview with Anna Dragina

The world's largest cosmetics company L’Oréal is socially responsible. It attracts its emploees to charity. One of the most ambitious projects in this area is the Social Responsibility Day, and part of it is a donor action. Anna Dragina, PR manager of L’Oréal Russia, tells about how donor campaigns are held in the Russian branch of the largest international company in the beauty industry.

04.09.19

Interview with Pavel Boev

Deloitte is a multinational professional services network, it provides audit and consulting. Deloitte is presented in 7 cities in Russia with more than 2200 professionals. Besides main services company has volunteer and charity programs. Employees are actively involved in the donor movement. Pavel Boev, Regional Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development of Deloitte CIS, told us about developing of the corporate blood donation.