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New Life Rises at the Rose Bowl

Donate Life America honored eye, organ and tissue donors and recipients with their 2010 Rose Parade Float, New Life Rises.

The float, which depicted a phoenix flying high over the float’s riders, symbolized life rising from death. Another important design feature of the float was the Family Circle Garden, a living memorial created from live roses, dedicated by donor families, recipients, hospitals, transplant centers and organizations, to donors, recipients and others touched by donation. Before being added to the float, each rose was placed in a vial containing an individual message. This year, Midwest Eye-Banks dedicated three roses to cornea donors.

The Rose Parade was held January 1st in Pasadena, California, preceding the Rose Bowl. Donate Life America’s float campaign was run by OneLegacy, a Donate Life America organization based in Los Angeles.

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Make your community event an I Joined! Event!

The Michigan Eye-Bank invites all Ambassadors to notify us about local events that you believe would be a great place for a Michigan Eye-Bank Donate Life Station. Stations consist of a table, laptop and wireless Internet access, allowing people to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry on the spot. Opportunities include county fairs, health and wellness fairs, antique car shows, parades, barbeques and any other place the community congregates.

It’s never too early to schedule a Donate Life Station. Some 2010 events, such as the Manchester Community Fair and Livonia, have already arranged to have the Stations present.

If you would like to set up a Donate Life station at one of your community events, please contact Alison Claerhout at (734) 887-2304 or aclaerhout@michiganeyebank.org.

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ALIVE ‘10

Ambassadors and their families are invited to volunteer at or attend ALIVE ’10 on Friday, May 7 at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, 1516 S. Cranbrook Road, in Birmingham.

All donations go directly to the Donate Life Coalition of Michigan to help promote the Michigan Organ Donor Registry and raise awareness of eye, organ, tissue and blood donation.

Have fun and celebrate with fine wine, amazing music, great food, a silent auction, a great goody bag sale and much more.

To volunteer at the event, contact Lisa Langley at lisa@michiganeyebank.org or (800) 247-7250, ext. 135.

To attend, contact Peggy Burkhard at peggyburkhard@sbcglobal.net or
(248) 770-5172.

If you would like to contribute an item for the Silent Auction, contact Cathy Warren at mmcc589@sbcglobal.net or (248) 701-2323.

Donations need to be received by April 30. Download the auction item contribution form at www.donatelifemichigan.org/events.htm.

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Eye Donor Month

Please join the Michigan Eye-Bank in celebrating National Eye Donor Month
this March.

National Eye Donor Month was started by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, and every March since, a member of Congress has read a proclamation into the Congressional Record to note this special occasion.

National Eye Donor Month raises awareness of the need for donated eye tissue. About 40,000 sight-restoring cornea transplants are performed in the United States every year, according the Eye Bank Association of America. Without the generosity of eye donors, their families and the support of hospital staff, these transplants would not be possible.

In recognition of Eye Donor Month, the Eye-Bank will be releasing a March calendar, featuring Michigan residents from around the state who made the decision to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. The poster-sized calendar can be displayed in workplaces, hospitals and public spaces.

If you would like a calendar for your workplace, contact Zach Ribble at (734) 887-2325 or zribble@michiganeyebank.org.

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Join the Michigan Eye-Bank on Facebook

Are you on Facebook? Want to show your support for the Michigan Eye-Bank? Becoming a fan of the Eye-Bank’s official Facebook page is a great way to do just that. Find us at www.facebook.com/michiganeyebank and become a fan today!

By becoming a fan, you can interact with other Ambassadors and Eye-Bank staff, post your own story on our Wall, ask questions, share links and keep up with what’s happening. It’s a great way to offer feedback, and it’s a fun way to participate in our mission. Remember to invite your Facebook friends to join, too!

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Ambassador Promotes Donor Registry at Church

Giving blood and joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry are two examples of how everyday people can save lives, and on April 10, those who attend the New Hope Missionary Church blood drive will have the opportunity to do both. Rev. Eric Echelbarger has arranged to have a Donate Life Station at the blood drive from noon to 5 p.m.

The importance of joining the Donor Registry is a message Echelbarger, an Eye-Bank Ambassador whose wife was a cornea donor, wants to get out to his parishioners and to the community as a whole. He recently delivered a sermon titled “Organ Donation – Biblical or Not?” Afterward, about 25 people signed up for the Michigan Organ Donor Registry.

The Michigan Eye-Bank invites all Ambassadors to host a Donate Life station at their church. Please contact Alison Claerhout at (734) 887-2304 or aclaerhout@michiganeyebank.org for more information.