Donor Alliance - Saving LIves Through Organ and Tissue Donation

About the "Advocates for Life" Program
Who are "Advocates for Life"
Why Should I Become an "Advocate for Life"
Ways to Volunteer
Reflections 2008
Online Quarterly Update
Advocate Calendars
Valuable Resoures

About the "Advocates for Life" Volunteer Program:

At Donor Alliance, our primary objective is to save lives through organ and tissue donation and volunteers are a vital component in fulfilling this mission.

We rely heavily on volunteer participation to make our programs possible. From grassroots advocacy to education/training and fundraising events, volunteers are essential to our success. We are grateful for each and every volunteer, their generous donation of time and talent and their dedication to being "Advocates for Life"!

Our Vision: "Advocates for Life" encompasses donor family members, transplant recipients, transplant candidates and others who have been touched by donation or transplantation, in order to advocate action towards registering organ and tissue donors throughout Colorado and Wyoming.

^{Arlin Lang hosts a registry booth at "Celebra La Vida Con Salud" - June 2007}

*Become a volunteer - Donor Alliance Advocate Questionnaire

*Start your training today - "Advocates for Life" Manual

Who are "Advocates for Life"?

"Advocates for Life" are Donor Alliance volunteers, consisting of donor family members, transplant recipients, transplant candidates, family and friends of these individuals impacted directly by organ and tissue donation or transplantation, as well as members of the community who want to connect with our mission.

Most importantly, our volunteers are essential partners in raising awareness about organ and tissue donation. As the heart and soul of Donor Alliance's efforts to inspire the public and professional health care community, volunteers are passionate individuals who communicate the truths about donation and transplantation, share the importance of registering as an organ and tissue donor and urge those already registered to share their decision with family members and friends.

Why should I become an "Advocate for Life"?

Whether you have been personally impacted by donation or transplantation or you simply desire to contribute to this important cause, everyone can benefit. Each volunteer is a valued member of the Donor Alliance community; as such, it is our commitment that volunteers feel appreciated and part of a well-structured, worthwhile program.

The "Advocates for Life" program offers the opportunity for volunteers to share their experiences while contributing to ongoing community outreach efforts. Additionally, below are just some of the benefits "Advocates for Life" receive:

Free "Donate Life" goodies and other Donor Alliance volunteer garments
Informative trainings related to the volunteer program and the process of organ and tissue donation and transplantation
Access into community events where Donor Alliance holds a registry booth, including health fairs, concerts, conventions and other local festivities
Fun and meaningful activities to positively impact the community
Opportunities to network with other volunteers, Donor Alliance employees, various "donation friendly" businesses and organizations, as well as prominent community figures and role models
An outlet, for donor family members, which helps with the transition through grief to healing
An outlet, for transplant recipients, to express their gratitude and give back to the community after receiving the "gift of life"
An outlet, for transplant candidates, to educate the community and others in their lives about the importance of registering as an organ and tissue donor (many of these individuals delight in volunteering as a way of taking action towards their own cure)

Ways to Volunteer:

"Tell Your Story" - Speaker's Bureau

Each year, we train speakers to inspire the public to register as organ and tissue donors. Our speaker's bureau is comprised of donor family members, transplant recipients and others who are advocates of donation. These volunteers speak at many different community groups and associations such as youth groups, churches, philanthropic groups, Rotary clubs, high schools and colleges.

Top Donor Hospital Awards Ceremony - 5/8
OR Staff In-Service at Swedish Medical Center - 5/13
Memorial Hospital Awards Presentation - 5/23
Grand Junction Organ & Tissue Collaborative - 9/10

If you are interested in volunteering for upcoming speaking engagements, the first step is to attend the "Tell Your Story" volunteer training.

Health Fairs and Registry Drives

Volunteers are needed to provide the public with information regarding organ donation at health fairs and registry drives throughout Colorado and Wyoming. At these events, volunteers provide answers to questions about organ and tissue donation and inspire visitors to join the Colorado and Wyoming donor registries (www.ColoradoDonorRegistry.org or www.WyomingDonorRegistry.org).

Cheyenne Day of Giving - 5/9
Costco Children's Miracle Network Business Show - 5/17
American Legion Post 178 Memorial Day Picnic - 5/26
Olinger Funeral Home Donation Day - 6/25
2008 Fiestas Patrias - 9/14

If you are interested in volunteering for upcoming health fairs or registry drives, the first step is to attend the "How to Manage a Health Fair / Registry Booth" volunteer training.

"Behind the Scenes" - Administrative Assistance

For those who prefer behind the scenes work, we have many different projects that can be accomplished at our office during the business day. These projects include filing, light typing, bulk mailings, labeling and preparing materials for community outreach events.

PR Inventory Assistants - Ongoing
Volunteer Recognition Assistants - Ongoing

If you are interested in volunteering for administrative opportunities, the first step is to attend the "Volunteering with Donor Alliance - An Introduction" orientation.

Special Events

Colorado's Colfax Marathon - Sunday, May 18th

The Colorado Colfax Marathon features the full marathon, half-marathon and five-person relay team marathon races. It also hosts the 2008 National Wheelchair Marathon Championships. Over 7, 000 people will be participating on race day!

One of our partner organizations, The American Transplant Foundation (ATF), is proud to be a Charity Partner of this year's marathon. We're currently looking for Advocates to help support their racing team, as well as to assist at the finish line retrieving racing chips from the racers on Sunday, May 18th in Denver's City Park.

The American Transplant Foundation's participation with this year's Colorado Colfax marathon is a great way to promote organ and tissue donation, inspire the public to register as organ and tissue donors, as wel as to get volunteers and race participants excited about the American Transplant Foundation's mission - to eliminate our country's shortage of human transplant organs.

To register as a volunteer or ATF team member, click here. You may also contact Katie Cicerchi directly at 303-757-0959 for more information.

Donor Dash 2008 - Sunday, July 15th

The Donor Dash is an annual 5K walk/run hosted at Washington Park each July to raise awareness about the need for life-saving organs and tissues in Colorado and Wyoming. Volunteers help in a variety of areas including registration, timing and water distribution. For more information on the Donor Dash, click here.

If you are interested in volunteering at the 9th Annual Donor Dash on Sunday, July 13, 2008, information on volunteer registration will be posted here soon. Please check back.

Other Volunteering Options

If you would like to volunteer in a capacity that is not listed, please contact Jennifer Lange (Volunteer & Special Events Coordinator) at 303-329-4747 about your specific skills and interests.

Community Calendar:

For a list of community events and details on upcoming volunteer opportunities, click here.

Advocates for Life Online:

To login to your personal volunteer record with contact information, calendar of upcoming opportunities, personal volunteer schedule and other features, click here.

Reflections 2008 - Saturday, January 26th

Check out the Reflections 2008 Presentation!

This year's Reflections event was our 1st annual volunteer recognition ceremony. A time to celebrate while interacting with fellow advocates, enjoying delectable appetizers and desserts and reflecting on the many accomplishments of 2007. Thank you to all of the advocates, family and friends that participated in this very special event.

Congratulations to the 2007 Advocate Awards Winners!

Most Registrants in a Single Event:

Kaiser Permanente's Neighbors in Health Event - 26 New Registrants!

John Gonzales
James Tenorio
Sally Tenorio

Most Media Presence in 2007:

1^st Place: Arthur Stone (more than 1.3 million impressions)
2^nd Place: Lori Sanchez (nearly 500,000 impressions)
3^rd Place: Kelli Jantz (nearly 140,000 impressions)

Most Events in 2007:

1^st Place: Colin Shearn (15 individuals events)
2^nd Place: Janie Kappius (10 individual events)
3^rd Place: Melody Connett (9 individual events)

Most Hours in 2007:

1^st Place: Anne Mukhar (36 hours and 45 minutes)
2^nd Place: Dianne Powell (28 hours and 30 minutes)
3^rd Place: Yvette Matthews (22 hours and 30 minutes)

Advocate of the Year 2007:

Pat Ling

Online Quarterly Update

Check out the April Online Quarterly Update!

The Online Quarterly Update is a quarterly newsletter about the Advocates for Life volunteer program. As you may have guessed, it is published and available online. This publication includes a listing of Advocate contributions, an article regarding noteworthy topics involving our program, donation/transplantation information or volunteer industry trends and statistics, the Advocate Spolight recognizing Advocates that go above and beyond, as well as other relevant information. The next publication will be released in August 2008.

Online Quarterly Update - January 2008

Advocate Calendars

Check out the May Advocate Calendar!!

Advocates for Life calendars are a great resource for upcoming volunteer activities, trainings and other notable occasions.

View archived advocate calendars below:

October 2007 Advocate Calendar

November 2007 Advocate Calendar

December 2007 Advocate Calendar

January 2008 Advocate Calendar

February 2008 Advocate Calendar

March 2008 Advocate Calendar

April 2008 Advocate Calendar

More Valuable Resources

Please note: Electronic versions of a form can be completed in Microsoft Word, saved on to your personal computer and returned as an attachment to an email. This option is for those that prefer an email submission over fax or mailing options.

Advocate Event Debrief Report

Advocate Debrief Report - Electronic

Advocate Event Notification & Material Request Form

Advocate Event Notification & Material Request Form - Electronic

Advocate Post-Event Inventory Form

'Advocates for Life' Satisfaction Survey

Workplace Partnership for Life Volunteer Recommendations

2008 Advocate Training Schedule

U.S. Transplant Games - Pittsburgh, PA (July 11 - 16, 2008)

"A Science of Miracles" Movie Night Flyer