The Sperm Bank of California Needs our Help!

"For those of us able to lend a hand, let’s pitch in to show our support for an organization that helps us grow our families, that chooses personal values and integrity over profit, and that dedicates itself with pride and inclusivity to making our dreams come true."

Christy Tyner, Author of Zak's Safari

Let’s pay it forward to TSBC.

Our treasured local organization is in need of our help to stay afloat amid the devastating economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel compelled to call our village together to help shelter TSBC through this storm until it passes. Alice Ruby, the Executive Director of TSBC, and the TSBC staff are doing everything they can to continue to provide services to our community while facing continued challenges as the pandemic continues. 

My experience with TSBC.

If someone re-created “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but with Alice Ruby instead of George Bailey, I would be the first to cry. Imagining a world without Alice would mean no TSBC, at least the way we know and love it. Maybe the alternative to TSBC for building our family would have been *fine*, but I can tell you that my life certainly would have been less wonderful. Check out all of the ways Alice and TSBC have enriched my life:

My customer-service experience was warm and wonderful. Shopping for sperm is nerve-wracking. I was touched by the care and support that I received from Alice and her staff. Everyone was so welcoming. Staff were patient, kind, respectful, warm, reassuring and informative. 

We were able to see the donors’ profiles and read staff observations, which provided just enough fuel to our intuition to help us make our decision. Alice and her staff took our potentially daunting journey and normalized it by putting us at ease and providing us with a sense of community. 

We were able to choose a donor that willingly participated in the first-ever Identity-Release Program. Now our kids have the option to contact their donor when they are 18, should they want to. For us, this was the gift of choice that TSBC made possible for our kids. 

We had access to TSBC’s research. TSBC has been conducting research on the relatively new process of donor conception for more than 30 years. For example, when deciding between identify-release donors and non-identify release donors, we turned to the research team’s findings, which found that origins information matters to a significant number of donor-conceived adults. I believe a company that invests in research in pursuit of the well-being of its customers is a company with integrity. 

TSBC supports our community. When the kids were little, we joined TSBC-sponsored picnics, cheered TSBC on at Pride parades, and attended panels to hear Alice talk about building families. We have felt valued, safe, represented and included by everyone at TSBC. 

Alice gave us an amazing amount of personal support. I have been fortunate to keep Alice in my life after our family-building relationship ended. Alice was my mentor in learning how to talk to my kids about their donor-conceived origins.

Alice’s advice was spot-on, simple and supportive: Be honest, and tell early and often. With her modeling and support, we developed an open, age-appropriate dialogue with our kids and our community. 

Inspired by Alice’s advice, I wrote a children’s book called Zak’s Safari: A Story About Donor-Conceived Kids of Two-Mom Families, and Alice wrote the foreword. This project resulted in more connections with other families just like ours. 

About Me

My name is Christy Tyner, and I am the mother of two wonderful children, ages 11 and 12. I can see the donor’s traits alive in both kids, giving me a profound sense of gratitude for the donor (thank you to all of those wonderful donors out there!) and to TSBC. 

Now, time is running out.

If you are in the fortunate position to help TSBC continue to serve our community, please consider a donation.

Every dollar helps. 

Donate $150 to receive a copy of Zak's Safari

Donate $300 to receive a copy of Zak's Safari signed by Christy and Alice

Your support matters.

Together, we can make a big difference for The Sperm Bank of California and the families they serve. We are so grateful for every person who helps give TSBC families a chance to make their dream come true. Thank you, on behalf of our community, TSBC, and future donor-conceived kids and their families!

❤ Christy Tyner