To Life Columbus! began its work in 1949 when the late Sylvia Schecter[1] approached the American Red Cross under the auspices of the B’nai B’rith Woman with the idea that the Columbus Jewish Community would like to do its fair share in recruiting blood donors.  (In fact, these origins remain visible today through the ongoing work of the Jewish Veterans of Foreign Wars.  Saul Laub and Howard Harris coordinate a team of dedicated volunteers who run the canteen at four blood drives each year.) Through Mrs. Schecter’s vision and energy, the Council established itself as an important player in organizing local blood drives.   During these early years, Richard Grundstein, Fred Yenkin, and Marjorie Gross provided valuable leadership to expand the Council’s work to include area synagogues and other Jewish organizations.  

More recently, Elliott Luckoff, Sondra Osipow, Christi Kaufman, and Susan Stein expanded the Council’s work further, recruiting over 100 volunteers, increasing the number of blood drives to yield 700-800 units of blood annually, and winning awards from the American Red Cross.  They also helped secure the Council’s future financially.  In 1994, retired Columbus businessman and philanthropist Richard Lieberman established the Richard Lieberman Perpetual Life Endowment at the Columbus Jewish Federation to cover the Blood Council’s operating expenses in perpetuity.[2]  Because of this generous donation, we have been able to focus our energies on the lifesaving work of collecting blood.

Today, the Council is an established successful organization that continues to grow in new directions.  In 1998 we typed 113 donors at two bone marrow drives to help a member of our community overcome leukemia.  On September 12, 2001 we collected a record 143 units of blood in a single drive at Beth Jacob synagogue.  In 2005, we changed our name from the Jewish Community Blood Donors Council to To Life Columbus!.  And today, we coordinate our volunteer and donor notification work on the Internet. 

Last updated on:    01/08/2007