Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
We’re all in this together
I said I wanted to do more, and the time has come to stop talking and start doing.
Tuesday was the first meeting of the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois Young Professionals, which is a cool group of young kids like me getting together to raise $, educate, network and host events.
And Wednesday was my long-awaited volunteer orientation with the lovely team at Donate Life Illinois. I have a long history with DLI, having worked on the PR and social media side of things with them during my first year out of grad school. I met some incredible people along the way, fell in love with the organization and really understood what it was like to believe in something. I know why I fight for organ donation, but knowing the stories of countless of others keeps me going when times get tough.
The way I see it, Sarah’s search for a kidney doesn’t start and end at transplantation. We’re all in this together, and I want to share it with as many people as possible.
So what do you say, do you want to join me?
Sunday Afternoon Chat: Organ and Tissue Donation
If you live in the Chicago area and are looking for something other than pigskin and helmet-smacking to fill your Sunday, I suggest you take a break and head downtown this Sunday, Nov. 14, to talk organ donation.
“The Greatest Gift: Organ and Tissue Donation” is part of Chicago Humanities Festival’s 2010 lineup, which will bring together writer and poet Richard McCann, a liver transplant recipient who is currently working on a memoir about his experience, and Chicago Sun-Times journalist Chris Fusco, who wrote about how a liver transplant surgery touched the lives of two of his high school friends.
Tickets are $5.00, free for students and teachers. It kicks off at 4:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church at The Chicago Temple.
National Donate Life Month
Today kicks off the beginning of National Donate Life Month, which increases awareness around the U.S., and celebrates those who generously gave life through organ donation.
As of this morning, there are currently 106,729 men, women and children waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. A little over 10 years ago, the list was less than half with just over 50,000 people waiting.
The United Network for Organ Sharing writes that “Although support for organ and tissue donation remains high, only about 38 percent of licensed drivers or ID card holders nationwide have enrolled in a state donor registry to ensure that their decision to donate is honored.”
This must change. How? By going retail with our message: Talk to your friends and family; educate your coworkers; join/launch a local campaign — efforts like these are essential if we are going to reverse the waiting list’s creep toward 150,000, and beyond.
During the course of April, you’re going to see some great campaigns surrounding this cause, and hear some incredible stories of hope. Many of these stories have unhappy endings.
For now, I’ll leave you with one of the last projects I worked on with the Donate Life Illinois team called “Mascot Mission.” It’s a pretty unique way to approach organ donation, and one that (I hope) will leave you smiling :)
