On Tuesday afternoon, March 13, the campus green was full of students in purple and gold with T-shirts and posters donning the phrase “#SaveRichard.” KSU students started the trend #SaveRichard on Twitter the previous night in the hopes of gaining the attention of MTV’s The Buried Life, who were scheduled to speak on campus that evening. Students were hoping that with their help, a kidney donor could be found for a student in need.
Sophomore student Richard Bland III, a member of Delta Tau Delta, has a kidney condition and is in need of a transplant. “My kidney is dying, it’s pretty much on its last leg,” said Bland. Students began tweeting the hashtag “#SaveRichard” late Monday night, and by 10:40 p.m. it was trending worldwide. After many hours of “blowing up Twitter” the students finally received the tweet they were waiting on. The Buried Life responded, “Kennesaw – we hear you. #SaveRichard”
Thanks to the overnight work of Captain Murphy and the campus police, Jennifer Messer and Kathy Alday with Student Life, as well as Plant Operations and University Relations, the cast of The Buried Life was able to pull together a massive event on the green. The focus of the rally was to find a donor for Bland, and raise awareness for others that are suffering with the same condition. “Thousands of people across the nation are living this way and it’s just not good, so this is not just about me,” said Bland. Bland’s mother Cynthia spoke at the event as well and encouraged students to sign up to be a possible donor. “Even if you’re not a match for Richard, you could be a match for someone else,” said Cynthia. Anyone with blood type O+/- or B +/- is able to donate to Richard. Bland’s father, Richard Bland Jr., was also in attendance and said he was “amazed, very grateful, and humbled” by the support.
Fox Atlanta interiewing Sophomore, Richard Bland III.
The rally on the green saw over 300 students and welcomed several local news outlets including The Marietta Daily Journal, Kennesaw Patch, and even Fox Atlanta. The Buried Life team was honored to be a part of the event saying they were “blown away” by the tweets and support that KSU students had shown. “He needed a donor and that’s what we’re here to do. This is incredibly awesome, everyone enjoys what happened here today,“ said Buried Life cast member, Jonnie Penn. The cast said that they were amazed by what the KSU student body was able to accomplish overnight.
The Buried Life Facebook page overflowed with comments from students, thanking them for their help with the #SaveRichard movement. The Buried Life wanted to remind the students that it was nothing that they did, it was what the KSU student body themselves had done. “To change the world, you have to have community. And that’s what you guys have here, is a community that will support Richard,” said Penn. Fellow cast member, Dave Lingwood chimed in saying, “we were just the middle man.”
Over 200 students signed up to volunteer to be a potential donor, and 168 were spotted wearing a #SaveRichard T-shirt. A website was created for a #SaveRichard foundation, which will raise money and awareness for anyone in need of a kidney transplant. The Buried Life partnered with Verizon Wireless Careers and was able to donate $1000. Bullfrogz in Kennesaw hosted an event that evening and charged a $2.00 cover, where all the proceeds went towards the #SaveRichard foundation. As of Thursday, March 15, the total amount of money raised was $2,270. The goal for Bland’s surgery is $7,000.
For more information on the #SaveRichard movement, or to donate to the foundation, visit and like the “Save Richard” Facebook page. You can also visit “The Buried Life” on Facebook, and on Twitter.