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Donate Life ECHO – Increases Awareness about Donation Among Multicultural Communities

Multicultural communities are disproportionately in need for lifesaving organ transplants.

Currently, 58 percent of the U.S. transplant waiting list is comprised of ethnically diverse patients. Here in our community, the local need mirrors that trend. Of the nearly 2,500 people waiting for an organ transplant in Colorado and Wyoming, 44 percent of them are ethnically diverse and 48 percent are waiting for a kidney.

In an effort to address this need, Donate Life America (DLA) and the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) created Donate Life ECHO, which stands for Every Community Has Opportunity. Celebrated annually in July, Donate Life ECHO is a national two-week outreach campaign that engages the community through social media and encourages the public to talk about donation and transplantation.

One of the objectives of this observance is to raise awareness about the need for more multicultural registered donors. In addition, the outreach campaign highlights the importance of donation and transplantation in multicultural communities and celebrates what transplant has made possible in such communities.

Donate Life Colorado and Donate Life Wyoming are encouraging individuals to celebrate Donate Life ECHO from July 8-22, 2018 by registering their decision to be organ, eye and tissue donors at www.DonateLifeColorado.org, www.DoneVidaColorado.org or www.DonateLifeWyoming.org. Just one donor can save up to 8 lives through organ donation and save or heal more than 75 lives through tissue donation. Once you have registered, talk to your family about your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.

Donor Dash: Everything You Need to Know on Race Day

On Sunday, July 15, thousands of people from across the nation will gather with us at Denver’s Washington Park to supportorgan, eye and tissue donation at the 19^th annual Donor Dash 5K run/walk. To make the most of your Donor Dash experience, here is everything you need to know to help you prepare for race day:

1. Arrive Early! We are hoping to break attendance records with more than 6,000 racers so come early. Expect some congestion and use the extra time as an opportunity to meet some other people who have been touched by the gift of life.
2. Parking: Parking is available at South High School across E Louisiana Ave. onthe south side of the park. Transportation assistance will be provided from the parking lot to the start line, which is near E Mississippi St. and S Franklin St. Please reserve transportation assistance for those who are unable to make the trek.
3. Race, Expo and Program Start Times: The race begins at 8:00 a.m. for runners and 8:05 a.m. for walkers. Dogs and strollers are welcome, but please wait to start your race with the back of the group and be courteous to the runners and walkers around you. The expo area opens at 8:00 a.m. near the finish line and the program will begin at 9:30 a.m.
4. Race Course and Map: You can find a race day map of the course and activities here. The course and layout are similar to prior Donor Dashes and should look familiar to returning dashers.
5. Free Team Photos: Teams of 10 or more are eligible for a free team photo. Have all team members report to the team photo area new the start line to take advantage of professional team photos from 7:00-7:45 a.m. or following the race from 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. If you are trying to get your photo taken pre-race, make sure to do so before 7:30 a.m.

For any additional information, visit our Donor Dash FAQs page.

Donor Dash: I’m Registered. How Else Can I Help?

On Sunday, July 15, thousands of people from around the nation will join us at Denver’s Washington Park to support organ, eye and tissue donation at the 19^th annual Donor Dash 5K run/walk. Are you already registered? Wondering how else you can help? Here are a couple of ways you can help spread awareness for this important cause leading up to race day:

2. Invite your friends and family and start a team! You can start a team by heading to the Donor Dash registration page. No team members can be added or changed after team registration closes on Sunday, July 8. Be sure your team captain checks your roster and gets out any last minute reminders to anyone who may way to join!
3. Share who you are dashing for with your online community. Using our online tool kit, it’s easy to help us spread the word about Donor Dash. Individuals, teams, hospitals and businesses are all encouraged to join us at the Donor Dash. We created our online toolkit to help you easily share your participation and invite others to join you! The toolkit even includes pre-sized Twitter and Facebook profile cover images for you to share.
4. Sport your Donor Dash swag early with early packet pickup. Teams and individuals registered on or before Sunday, July 8 are eligible for early packet pickup. Early packet pickup will take place on Wednesday, July 11^th in the main lobby of the Donor Alliance’s office building, the Galleria Office Towers (720 S. Colorado Boulevard, Denver 80246). Race day registration and onsite packet pickup will also be available beginning at 7:00 a.m. on July 15.

For any additional information, including a race day schedule of events and a course map, visit our Donor Dash FAQs page. We’ll see you at Donor Dash!

Request an Expert Organ and Tissue Donation Speaker for Your Group

Do you know a community group that has questions about organ and tissue donation? Does your company invite guest speakers to give presentations about community initiatives? Has your child’s school mentioned a guest speaker program? We have a new resource for you!

We have trained staff members and volunteers who are available by request to speak to community groups about what organ and tissue donation is and the importance of talking about one’s decision with family. There are several different topics to choose from and we try to match the right speaker to your event.

Many groups have already been scheduled this year and show the variety of community events our Staff Speakers Bureau can enhance. Some examples are: “Young at Heart” Seniors Group at Risen Savior Lutheran Church, Healthy Living Class for Older Veterans, Rocky Mountain Liver Transplant Support Group, Beta Sigma Phi Laureate Lambda Sorority in Casper, Longmont Kiwanis Club, Cherry Creek Schools Medical Careers classes. Our presenters strive to fit the presentation to the audience.

If you would like to schedule a speaker, please fill out the request form on our website. Please allow two weeks before date of event. Help us meet your needs by providing details. The details about your group and event enable us to provide the best-matched speaker for your event. The Public Education Coordinator will contact you to confirm the information within five business days.

Families and Heroic Donors Honored at 2018 Donor Family Tribute

On Saturday, May 19^th, Donor Alliance was honored to welcome 124 incredible Donor Families to the 2018 Annual Donor Family Tribute at the Seawell Ballroom in the Denver Center Performing Arts Complex. At this special event, themed Lives Transformed, donor families honored loved ones and their gift of organ and tissue donation with a candle-lighting ceremony, photo tribute, and butterfly wall. The Donor Family Quilt Project was also on display, and families were able to contribute a quilt square in honor of their loved one. Recipient speakers shared their gratitude and inspiring stories of how donation and transplantation has changed their lives. This event was especially meaningful for Donor Alliance staff, offering a way to thank the incredible donor families for the gift of life and healing that they make possible. Oh behalf of all of us at Donor Alliance, thank you to the heroic donor families for sharing your time and the memory of your loved one with us. It's an honor to serve you.

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Foundation Spotlight: Jennifer Moe

We’re so proud to announce the formation of the Donor Alliance Foundation. In our Spotlight, we would like to take a minute to introduce you to Donor Alliance Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Moe.

[caption id="attachment_15526" align="alignright" width="334"] Jennifer Moe - Executive Director of The Donor Alliance Foundation[/caption]

Name: Jennifer Moe

Position: Executive Director of The Donor Alliance Foundation

Tell us a little about your role with Donor Alliance: As the Executive Director of The Donor Alliance Foundation, my job is to build a grantmaking platform that gets dollars back out into the community. The Donor Alliance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to support and promote education about organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Whether medical research, patient assistance or general community education I am working to elevate the lifesaving mission of organ and tissue donation through grant making.

What is the best thing about working at Donor Alliance? The very best thing about working at The Donor Alliance Foundation is the feeling you get when you walk in the door. Coming back after three years, it felt like coming home. And getting to come back and work alongside Sue Dunn and Jennifer Prinz and so many smart and driven people on the planet, makes me feel very fortunate. I am so grateful to be back in this new role continuing lifesaving work.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun? I used to run marathons and have a clean house and visit with friends after work. Now married with two girls ages 6 and 8, I spend my time driving the carpool, going to activities and sports events and making slime. I enjoy seeing the world through my girls’ eyes – it is like reliving my childhood all over again.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Being a mother and a wife. I have everything I have ever wanted in my family of four. I am also proud of my work at Donor Alliance. Little did I know back in 2005 when I began my role as Director of Communications and PR how this work would become woven into my life. I do not take for granted what a gift I have been given being able to be a part of this organization.

If you could take an all-expenses paid vacation, where would you go? Right now it would probably be anywhere warm with a beach. But Europe is my favorite. Probably to Switzerland for a real Swiss Fondue and visit to the Alps.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Stand up straight. Never be afraid of being tall. ?

Advocate Spotlight: Julie Gibson

[caption id="attachment_16870" align="alignright" width="352"] Julie Gibson - Donor Mother[/caption]

Donor Alliance volunteers and advocates are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire and inform our community about the importance of registering as organ, eye and tissue donors in Colorado and Wyoming. Each of our volunteers and advocates has their own unique and inspiring story to tell. This month, we are featuring Julie Gibson, a Donor Mother.

What is your favorite memory volunteering for Donor Alliance? I'm pretty new at volunteering so don't have many experiences to choose from. But I love walking in the parades and watching the kids, seeing their bright shining smiles always makes me happy.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Wow, that's s tough one. I've been working with wood (re-using old pallets) and I made a entry table from just using a picture that I saw. My grandfather worked with wood all the time and I think he would have been proud of me for that accomplishment.

What song would you sing at karaoke night? I'd choose an oldie. Chantilly Lace, I used to sing that one to my kids all the time when they were toddlers and we would dance around while I sang.

What are some of your favorite hobbies? I have too many hobbies and too little time! I love to read, work with wood and lately I've been teaching myself to quilt.

If you could take an all-expenses paid vacation, where would you go? I would love to go to England, Ireland and Scotland. It's on my bucket list of places to see. But it has to be when it's warm I am not a fan of damp and cold.

What is the last book you read or movie you saw? Would you recommend it? The last book I finished was called The Lock Artist. It was our Book Club book for last month. It was an interesting read. I liked it but it wasn't my favorite book. My favorite book of all time is Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate. That book I would definitely recommend.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Another hard one! Probably the best was right after my son became a hero and I received a letter from LCNW (Life Center North West) and it stated that it's "okay to have bad days", just don't let those days become your lifetime. I needed to hear that. I needed to know that bad days were supposed to be the norm for a while. I started telling myself, okay, have a bad day then tomorrow be better. Then I moved on to, okay have a bad hour but in the next hour be better. It sounds silly but I needed to know that I wasn't failing in my grief. I needed to know that I was moving through the process and not stuck.

5 Tough Questions We Get Asked

Through the lifesaving work that Donor Alliance does, our team sees a lot of tragedy and hears a lot of heartbreaking stories. But, we also get to witness the incredible hope and healing that donation and transplantation provides. That hope and healing is what drives our team members and volunteers to continue our mission to save lives by educating and inspiring the public to sign up as organ, eye and tissue donors through community programs, public outreach and education campaigns across Colorado and Wyoming.

Through our outreach and education programs, we speak to a lot of people that want to help but have questions about everything from the state registries themselves, to how the process works and who can be a donor or get a transplant. We’ve asked our team members to answer five of the toughest questions they have been asked and compiled their responses below.

1. I plan to donate my body to science. Can I still be an organ and tissue donor?

Yes, however, Donor Alliance only recovers organs and tissues for transplant. Whole-body donation for research or education purposes must be contracted through a separate organization. If you are a registered donor in your state’s registry, organ and tissue recovery for transplant will happen before whole-body donation. This prioritizes the immediate need of saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

If you wish to participate in whole-body donation, we encourage you to thoroughly research the organization you are considering, make sure those arrangements are in place prior to your passing and document your desire to be a donor for transplantation purposes first. Some organizations may not accept a whole-body donation after organ and tissue recovery.

2. Can undocumented immigrants get transplants? I heard somebody couldn’t get a transplant because of their status.

Yes, undocumented immigrants can receive organ transplants. A transplant center’s criteria for all prospective candidates is the same regardless of U.S. citizenship or immigration status. Documentation of U.S. citizenship is not required at the four Colorado transplant centers. All prospective candidates are evaluated against a rigorous set of standards including various medical and psychosocial considerations, and a patient’s ability to maintain post-transplant medical care, which is essential to the success of organ transplants. Having meticulous transplant listing criteria helps ensure each precious gift of life will be maximized in its new home.

3. I’ve heard that if I’m in an accident or dying that paramedics or doctors won’t try to save my life because I have a heart on my license. Is that true?

Your status as a registered organ, eye and tissue donor has ZERO impact on the medical treatment you receive. Medical professionals have all taken an oath to save the lives of their patients. If you are ever involved in an emergency medical situation, saving your life is the only focus of your medical team. The driver license symbol is an indication of an individual’s registry status, but that status may have changed since the ID was issued, therefore the official, confidential registry database must be checked to verify registry status. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff do not have access to the organ and tissue donor registry. Only designated recovery agency staff have the ability to view anyone's donor designation decision (or registry status).

4. I would sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor, but I’m too old and too sick to register.

You’re never too old or unhealthy to sign up to be a donor. Each person’s medical condition is evaluated at the time of death to determine what organs and tissues are viable for donation. Even people living with chronic diseases, like hepatitis or diabetes, can join the donor registry. Organs and tissues are generally not considered for donation if a person has died from an active cancer or an infectious disease; however, certain cancer patients can donate corneas. Everyone is encouraged to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and allow the medical professionals to determine your suitability to donate in the event of death.

5. Dozens of countries have presumed consent laws. Why doesn’t the U.S. move to a presumed consent policy to help shrink the transplant waiting list?

Presumed consent is a donation system by which individuals are automatically considered willing donors of organs, eyes and tissue after death unless they have taken the necessary legal steps to “opt out.” Research has shown that moving to presumed consent system would not be likely to increase lifesaving organ transplants in our area. Recent surveys demonstrate a lack of public support with 62% of Wyoming and 56% of Colorado respondents opposed to an “opt-out” or presumed consent system. Opt out would also eliminate the opportunity to request authorization from the family of a potential donor.

All states in the U.S. operate under an opt in system where the donor designation serves as a first-person consent advanced directive, unable to be overruled by the family. In other countries operating under a system of presumed consent, families are able to override the presumption of consent, nullifying the donation.

If you have more questions, or want to learn more about how to join the 68 percent of Coloradans and 59 percent of Wyoming residents who have signed up to be a donor, check out our Understanding Donation page, or visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.

Show Your Heart Project In Wyoming Has A Big Impact!

During April, Donor Alliance joined with Wyomingites and others around the nation to celebrate National Donate Life Month. The theme was “Show Your Heart” which encouraged individuals to share their support of organ, eye and tissue donation.

The Show Your Heart Project spotlighted the altruism of organ, eye and tissue donation in communities across Wyoming. Participants hid special cork hearts bearing personalized messages of inspiration to show appreciation for those who already signed up to be a donor and to inspire others to consider such an act of generosity. Amazingly, 59% of Wyomingites have already signed up to give the gift of life, but there is still more work to be done!

The Show Your Heart special cork hearts began their journey in Wyoming, and some traveled near and far, even reaching other countries! Fueled by the passion of our Advocates for Life and many supportive community members, hearts were carried from location to location and shared between friends and strangers.

Some gave hearts to family and loved ones as a way to initiate the conversation and share their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Others exchanged hearts between recipients and donor families. All spread their support with social media posts and the #ShowYourHeart. Hearts from Wyoming traveled far and had a big impact:

• Advocates for Life, Cayde, a Pediatric double lung recipient, and her grandmother, Patricia, shared many hearts on their travels from Wyoming to Colorado to Houston. The special cork hearts were taken on vacations, shared with Southwest Airlines pilots and even traveled as far as Panama City Beach, Florida, Bora Bora and Pammakkule, Turkey!
• At the Wyoming Donor Dash, a nurse from Gillette shared her excitement to spread the message of donation with the cork hearts in her community. Several members of Team Rocky Mountain for the Transplant Games of America joined the Wyoming Donor Dash and personalized cork hearts to share at the games in Salt Lake City later this year.
• Cary, Advocate for Life and a donor family member, shared her brother’s heroic choice to be a donor throughout April at several community events. She decorated a heart in her brother’s honor and hid it at the Natrona County Library, hoping to inspire the stranger who found it to register to be a donor too.

Ryea’ O’Neill, Community Relations Coordinator for Donor Alliance, shared, “Consider that nationwide, every 10 minutes, someone is placed on the waiting list and it takes less than 10 minutes to decorate and share one of our cork hearts. This project showed how important grassroots community projects are for Wyoming and how big an impact one person can have!”

With nearly 200 Wyomingites on the waiting list for a lifesaving transplant, the Show Your Heart project helped shine a light on the need for organ, eye and tissue donation. You can help save and heal lives too by registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor anytime online or at your local Driver Services office.

Driver License Offices celebrate National Donate Life Month

As National Donate Life Month draws to a close, it is important to showcase our Driver License and Driver Services state partners and the support they give Donor Alliance in saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. In Colorado, 68% of residents say YES to donation through their local Driver License office. In Wyoming, 59% say YES to donation at their local Driver Services office.

• There are 29 Driver Services offices in Wyoming and 53 Driver License offices in Colorado. Both work with and support Donor Alliance’s mission by asking residents if they would like to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor when they obtain or renew a driver license, permit or state ID.
• All 82 offices make it a priority to have materials available for residents in order to educate them about what registering means and how to do so. Learn more about donation here.
• During the month of April, all 82 offices participated by posting National Donate Life Month materials in their offices.
• In Colorado: the Boulder, Grand County, Pueblo and Westgate offices participated in the #ShowYourHeart project by setting up a messaging station and inviting residents to customize a cork heart. The Arapahoe County offices also participated by inviting staff members to customize hearts and place them in their local communities. The Colorado Springs office celebrated National Blue & Green Day as well.
• In Wyoming: the Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Gillette (pictured below) and Riverton Driver Services offices joined in the #ShowYourHeart project by decorating their offices in blue and green and setting up messaging stations to encourage residents to participate in the project.

All Driver License and Driver Services employees in both Colorado and Wyoming go through donation educational training with a Donor Alliance staff member. We appreciate and value the incredible amount of engagement from all our Driver License and Driver Services locations. They assist us in achieving our mission each and every day!

Celebrating Our Advocates for Life During National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week (April 15-21) is a time to celebrate our amazing Advocates for Life.

National Volunteer Week:

National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to promote volunteerism, recognize and appreciate volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about.

Celebrating Our Advocates for Life:

Here at Donor Alliance we’d like to celebrate our more than 200 active Advocates for Life this National Volunteer Week who give their time and energy to share the message of the gift of life in our community. Made up of donor family members, transplant recipients, transplant candidates and others who are passionate about supporting organ and tissue donation and transplantation, Donor Alliance Advocates are the heart and soul of our efforts to inspire the public about the importance of registering as organ and tissue donors in Colorado and Wyoming. You can read some of our Advocates’ stories here.

Advocates for Life hail from all over Colorado and Wyoming and dedicated more than 1,500 hours to the cause last year, educating the public at health fairs in parades with media, through speeches and more. During National Donate Life Month alone our volunteers participate in nearly 100 events in hospitals and throughout our community.

At Donor Alliance, our mission is the save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation and we truly couldn’t accomplish that mission without the efforts of our Advocates for Life – thanks to each and every one of you!

Become an Advocate for Life:

Do you have a connection to organ, eye and tissue donation or transplantation? Simply looking to give back and encourage folks to sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor? We'd love for you to join our Advocates for Life program!

Visit our Volunteer page for more information on our Advocates for Life Volunteer Program.

Colorado Gears Up For National Donate Life Month

This April, Donate Life Colorado is excited to celebrate National Donate Life Month! This year we're inviting everyone across the state to Show Your Heart for organ, eye and tissue donation as part of our invites residents to take part in the Show Your Heart Project with activities throughout the month.

The Show Your Heart Project spotlights the altruism of organ, eye and tissue donation in communities across our wonderful state. We've hidden (in plain sight) hearts all over Colorado bearing personalized messages of inspiration to show appreciation for those who have signed up to become organ, eye and tissue donors and inspire others to consider such an act of generosity. If you find a heart, share a photo of it on social media using #ShowYourHeart and tell your followers why you support organ, eye and tissue donation. After that you can add your personal note and leave as an inspirational surprise for another to find. You can also take the heart or show the heart on your license at one of our partner businesses for special discounts! Learn more about the Show Your Heart project here.

In addition to the Show Your Heart Project, there are many other ways that you can show your support for National Donate Life Month this April

• Show Your Heart and Save: Show Your Heart for National Donate Life Month! Show the heart on your driver license or one of the hidden hearts you find at participating partner locations like Alamo Drafthouse, Elvis Cinemas and Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill in Grand Junction, April 9th through April 22nd for freebies like free movie tickets and meal discounts! Learn more about the Show Your Heart promotions here.

• Blue and Green Day on April 13: On Friday, April 13th, supporters of organ, eye and tissue donation around the United States will celebrate National Blue & Green Day as part of National Donate Life Month! Use this opportunity to dress in your best blue and green to raise awareness for the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation, and encourage your family, friends, coworkers and schoolmates to do the same. Don’t forget to share your photos on social media using #ShowYourHeart and be sure to tag us on social media (Facebook: Donate Life Colorado. Twitter and Instagram: @DonateLifeCO)

• Come to one of our events in April: During the month of April we’ll be at events all around Colorado! You can catch us at the Denver Auto Show, the Wyoming Donor Dash and at special Show Your Heart events just to name a few. Stop by and see us for lots of fun and free Donate Life prizes! Click here to see our events page.

• Share the love with our Toolkit: We’ve created a toolkit to help you promote organ, eye and tissue donation in your area! We have social media graphics, downloadable posters and more! Use these resources to help us bring awareness to the nearly 2,500 people in our area who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant! Click here to see the toolkit.