January 10 2012

American Express, in an effort to grow the Be The Match Registry^®, is the first organization to provide a grant that will help offset the monthly costs for new potential registry members who join online. Business partners of Be The Match^® are being asked to commit $100,000 to help offset registration costs and American Express is the first partner for January 2012.

“Serving the communities in which we live and work has been a core value at American Express throughout our 160-year history,” said Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation. “The Be The Match Registry is making it easier for people to get involved in this most heroic cause, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

“The convenience of online registration is crucial to growing the registry,” said Christine Fleming, president of Be The Match Foundation^®. “Partnering with businesses, like American Express, who support our work is another way to provide hope for patients everywhere who need a marrow or cord blood transplant.”

On average, 60,000 new potential donors join the Be The Match Registry each month; 6,500 of those new members join online at BeTheMatch.org via the “Join Now” web page. The grant from American Express will offset the costs of collecting and typing the samples of these potential donors who join online.

To learn more about what it means to join the registry, health guidelines for joining and how you can join, go to BeTheMatch.org/Join.

For information on becoming a corporate sponsor of new registry members who join online, contact Nettie Sparkman, Be The Match Foundation, at nsparkma@nmdp.org or 612-398-9205.