From talented regional visual artists and musicians to unique small businesses, NIC Fest showcases the best our community has to offer. Explore an exciting lineup of art booths, live performances, delicious food, and engaging activities for all ages. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, NIC Fest is the perfect kick off to summer. Stop by the Donate Life Wyoming booth to learn how you could save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.
Denver Is Hosting the World’s Largest Celebration of Life
From June 18 to 23, 2026, the Mile High City will host the Transplant Games of America, a six-day celebration that brings together transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, those awaiting transplant, medical professionals, caregivers, volunteers, and supporters from across the country and around the world.
It’s part Olympic competition, part reunion, part tribute. And for the first time ever, it’s coming home to Colorado.
“It’s kind of like an Olympic competition where people vie for gold, silver and bronze,” said Mark McIntosh, chair of the 2026 Denver TGA Host Committee and a kidney recipient himself. “We celebrate the donors, the donor families, we celebrate the healthcare community, and then recipients like me, we get to say, ‘thank you,’ and then we all compete.”
What Are the Transplant Games of America?
The Transplant Games of America have been held every two years since 1990, rotating through cities across the country. For more than three decades, the games have served as a living reminder of what donation makes possible. Transplant recipients who once couldn’t walk to the mailbox are now running track, swimming laps, and dancing in ballrooms. Donor families who have carried unimaginable grief find themselves surrounded by the people their loved one helped save.
The 2026 games are expected to draw more than 4,000 athletes and over 8,000 total attendees. More than 3,000 volunteers will help make it all happen across venues throughout Denver.
At its heart, the Transplant Games’ goal is to reinforce that organ, eye, and tissue donation makes a real, lasting difference.
Team Rocky Mountain: Colorado’s Home Team
Team Rocky Mountain is made up of transplant recipients, living donors, donor family members, and supporters from Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. As the host team for the 2026 games, they’ve been building toward this moment for years. In March, the team gathered at Donor Alliance’s Denver office for a flag signing ceremony, with team members, supporters, and Donor Alliance staff coming together to send the team off in style.
The team has a track record worth celebrating. At the 2018 games in Salt Lake City, they brought home 27 gold, 20 silver, and 12 bronze medals. They also participated in setting the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of solid organ transplant recipients in one place. In 2026, with the games on home turf, there’s another record attempt on the horizon. At the 2022 games in San Diego, they took home 30 medals total, including 15 gold, and finished 9th in the team cup standings.
Andrew Mendard (pictured right)
Meet Andrew Menard: Team Rocky Mountain Captain
In 2012, Andrew was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), the same condition his father had battled for 15 years. As his kidney function fell to eight percent and dialysis loomed, a donor was identified. For Andrew, that moment marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Since his transplant, Andrew has channeled that gratitude into advocacy. He volunteers with Donor Alliance and the National Kidney Foundation, serves as a mentor in the American Transplant Foundation’s 1+1=Life program, and competes as both athlete and team manager for Team Rocky Mountain. This year, as team captain, he’ll lead competitors from Colorado, Wyoming and Montana into the Transplant Games.
Fighting for Every Breath: Rima Manomaitis
Rima has spent most of her life fighting for breath. Born with cystic fibrosis, she eventually progressed to end-stage lung disease and received her first double lung transplant in May 2017. It was a hard-won second chance. Then, in late 2024, chronic
rejection began to take that chance away. Her health declined quickly, and on March 24, 2025, she received her second double lung transplant.
This summer, just over a year after her second transplant, Rima will compete in the 5K and Track & Field events at the Transplant Games representing Team Rocky Mountain.
A New Heart, A New Chapter: Heather Smoot
Heather was diagnosed with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in her early twenties, but it was a cardiac arrest at 32 weeks pregnant that truly changed everything. She was clinically gone for 14 minutes before waking up in the ICU with a pacemaker, a defibrillator, and a long road ahead. Decades of failing health and procedures followed, until a transplant became her only option. In April 2024, she received a new heart. Now a mother and a donation advocate, Heather has returned to work and returned to life.
Less than two years after receiving her new heart, Heather will compete in Cornhole at the Transplant Games on Team Rocky Mountain.
How to Get Involved
There are several ways to be part of the 2026 Transplant Games of America! Support Team Rocky Mountain at teamrockymountain.org or donate through Colorado Gives at coloradogives.org. Participate in the Colorado Challenge if you’re a supporter, caregiver, or community member who wants to compete alongside the transplant community. Details and registration are at transplantgamesofamerica.org. More than 3,000 volunteers are needed across six days of events at multiple venues. Details are available at transplantgamesofamerica.org. Come out for the public 5K on June 20 at Auraria Campus and run or walk alongside the transplant community.
And if you haven’t already, the most important thing anyone can do is register as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org to add your name to the registry today.
Honor a Donor at the TGA Donor Tribute
Donor Alliance is proud to stand alongside donor families at the 2026 Transplant Games. If your loved one’s gift of donation made someone else’s story possible, we want to help you honor them. Donor family members can reserve their spot at the TGA Donor Tribute and submit photos for the Donor Tribute Slideshow by visiting https://www.donoralliance.org/tgadonortribute/ .
The Transplant Games of America are organized by the Transplant Life Foundation. Donor Alliance is the organ procurement organization serving Colorado and Wyoming and a proud supporter of Team Rocky Mountain and the 2026 Denver games.
Participation is free, but registration is required: Living Donor & Recipient Gathering | TGA
We look forward to seeing you there!
Row 1: Sean Umble, Darrell Fenton, Billy Cordova, James Prentice, Robert Ungersma, Adrienne Lindemann, Alex Schnaidt
Row 2: Thomas Walsh, Preston Heisa, David McConnaughey, Cheryl Malone, Javier Garcia, John Bachus, Ronald Gascho
Row 3: Billy Udchitz, John B. Clark, Jr., Tom Lyon, Dayton Lucero
Row 4: Jonathan Wickham, Cathy Starnes, James Hejsek, Jason Cranfill, Tom Huzjak, Nicholas Johnson, David Keenan-Knight Weber
Row 5: Crystal Brotemarkle, James Wahl, Ida West, Janice Ashby, George Lee Martin, Jr., Deborah Steplock, Ryan Wong
Row 6: Donovan Garcia, Mort Fadum, Hannah Lopiccolo, Stephanie Sipres, Javier Velazquez, Amy Acosta, Cadence Tilton
Row 7: David Dey, Annastasia Swope, Tommy Wilson Jr, Maxwell Rushing, Chad Fetyko, Kevin Channing Thompson, Kyle Trombly
Michael J. Kenney joins Donor Alliance as Chief Legal Officer, bringing over a decade of legal and compliance leadership in the organ procurement sector, most recently serving as General Counsel at the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) in Pittsburgh, PA. In his new role, he will lead Donor Alliance’s legal operations and provide strategic counsel to executive leadership and the board.
DENVER, CO —May 22, 2026 —Donor Alliance, the federally designated organ procurement organization serving Colorado and Wyoming, today announced Michael J. Kenney as new Chief Legal Officer.
In this role, Kenney will serve as the organization’s primary legal advisor, overseeing legal, regulatory, and compliance functions, as well as governmental and public affairs.
Kenney brings more than a decade of legal and leadership experience in the organ procurement sector. Most recently, he served as General Counsel & Director of Human Resources at the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he led enterprise-wide legal, compliance, and HR strategy. During his tenure, he helped grow the organization’s workforce by 37% and reduced employee turnover from 17% to 6%, contributing to five consecutive years of record organ donor and transplant outcomes.
“Michael’s rare combination of legal and compliance leadership, plus his deep-rooted commitment to the donation mission makes him an exceptional fit for Donor Alliance,” said Jennifer Prinz, President and CEO, Donor Alliance. “As we continue to grow and serve more people across Colorado and Wyoming, having strong legal and regulatory leadership at the executive level is critical to our mission.”
Throughout his career, Kenney has advised boards of directors and executive teams on corporate governance, employment law, contract negotiation, and regulatory compliance. He has represented his organization before state and federal officials, advocating for policies that expand organ donor registration, including a legislative initiative that resulted in more than 45,000 donor registrations in a single year. He has also presented at national conferences on HR, recruitment, retention, and legal and regulatory issues in donation and transplantation.
“In this industry, the stakes of getting it wrong aren’t measured in dollars. They’re measured in lives,” said Kenney. ‘I’ve seen what strong compliance and advocacy can do for an OPO, and I’m excited to bring that experience to Donor Alliance and the communities we serve across Colorado and Wyoming.”
Kenney holds a Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University. He holds SHRM-CP certification and recently completed the Malcolm Baldrige Executive Fellowship Program.
Donor Alliance and LifeSource today announced a new partnership to strengthen organ donation and transplantation through the creation of a system organization, Vital Impact Health Group. The partnership brings together two high-performing non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organizations committed to building the future of life-enhancing and lifesaving care throughout the United States through standardization, collaboration, and transformation.
Through this new system structure, Donor Alliance and LifeSource will align at the system level while continuing to operate their existing organizations within their current donation service areas. This approach preserves the local relationships, community connections, and operational expertise that are essential to the donation process, while enabling closer collaboration in support of patients, donor families, and healthcare partners.
The partnership reflects a shared vision to make a bold and meaningful impact in the healthcare ecosystem to save and heal more lives. The donation and transplantation system must continue to evolve to meet increasing expectations for performance, accountability, and innovation, while remaining grounded in trust.
“This partnership is about strengthening the future of donation and transplantation through standardization of practices and innovation with intention,” said Jennifer Prinz, who will serve as System President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Impact Health Group while temporarily continuing in her role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Donor Alliance. “Both organizations bring strong performance, deep experience, and a shared commitment to doing this work the right way. By coming together, we are building on that foundation to better serve patients waiting for transplant and the heroic donors and families who make donation possible.”
Under the new structure, the system organization will provide a framework for closer collaboration across the two organizations, including alignment around evidence-based practices, shared operational learning, and coordinated strategic planning. The goal is to strengthen consistency, support innovation, and ensure the donation system continues to improve in service of transplantation.
Kelly White will serve as President of Integration and Chief Operating Officer of Vital Impact Health Group while temporarily continuing as Chief Executive Officer of LifeSource. White brings extensive experience in hospital and health system leadership, complementing Prinz’s decades of executive leadership within the organ donation field.
“Donation and transplantation depend on strong partnerships across the healthcare system,” said White. “This structure brings together deep expertise in organ and tissue donation and transplantation with significant experience in hospital and healthcare leadership. Together, we can learn from each other, move more quickly, and continue raising the standard for how donation is carried out.”
Through this partnership, the organizations will focus on patient safety, strengthening quality and consistency in donation practices, accelerating the adoption of leading clinical and operational approaches, enhancing collaboration with hospitals and transplant centers, and supporting ongoing innovation and improvement.
Leaders from both organizations emphasized that this partnership reflects a proactive step at a time when the national donation system is undergoing continued evolution.
“The expectations placed on the donation community continue to grow,” Prinz said. “We believe strong organizations have a responsibility to exceed those expectations, and to help lead the field forward.”
Additional details about the system organization will be shared as the partnership progresses.
About Vital Impact Health Group
Vital Impact Health Group is the system organization formed through the partnership between Donor Alliance and LifeSource. The organization is designed to support system integration, collaboration, shared learning, and alignment around leading practices in organ and tissue donation and transplantation, while preserving the local operations and community relationships of each organization. By bringing together complementary strengths, Vital Impact Health Group aims to strengthen quality, consistency, and innovation across the donation system in service of patients, donor families, and healthcare partners.
About Donor Alliance
Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation in Colorado and most of Wyoming. As a federally designated organ procurement organization – one of 55 in the U.S. – Donor Alliance serves more than 6.3 million residents and more than 100 hospitals. Donor Alliance walks alongside the family during the organ recovery process and ensures their loved one’s gifts are safely received at transplant centers in a timely manner. Donor Alliance also facilitates tissue donation to save and heal more lives across our community.
In addition, the organization maintains partnerships with hospitals and manages the Donate Life Colorado and Donate Life Wyoming registries, which are symbols of the cause. Through Donate Life, Donor Alliance educates residents on the lifesaving benefits of donation, inspiring them to register. For more information, please visit DonorAlliance.org.
About LifeSource
LifeSource is the non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest, serving more than seven million people in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. LifeSource promotes donation in our communities through the Donate Life brand. LifeSource works with communities, families and healthcare professionals to save and heal lives through advocacy and excellence in organ, eye and tissue donation. We are relentlessly pursuing a day when no one dies waiting for a life-saving transplant. Learn more at Life-source.org.
Donor Alliance and LifeSource Announce New Partnership
Donor Alliance and LifeSource have announced a new partnership to strengthen organ donation and transplantation through the creation of a system organization: Vital Impact Health Group.
This partnership brings together two high-performing nonprofit organ procurement organizations to deepen collaboration, share leading practices, strengthen quality and consistency, and continue improving in service of patients, donor families, and healthcare partners.
Through this system structure, both organizations will work more closely together while continuing to operate within their existing donation service areas. Local teams, relationships, and community-based care remain at the center of this work.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing the donation system at a time of increasing expectations for performance, accountability, and innovation.
Together, Donor Alliance and LifeSource are building on strong foundations to help shape the future of donation and transplantation.
Key Points
- Donation remains local, with the same teams and service areas
- The partnership supports collaboration, shared learning, standardization, and innovation
- The focus remains on patients, donor families, and community trust
- This is a proactive step to strengthen the future of donation and transplantation
Learn more about this announcement:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this partnership?
This is a system-level partnership between Donor Alliance and LifeSource designed to strengthen organ donation and
transplantation through collaboration, shared learning, and alignment around leading practices.
Is this an acquisition?
No. This is not an acquisition. Both organizations will continue operating as independent nonprofit organizations within their existing donation service areas.
What will change?
Over time, the organizations will collaborate more closely and align around leading practices and strengthen consistency across donation practices. Changes will be thoughtful and phased.
What will stay the same?
Local teams, donation service areas, and relationships with hospitals and communities remain unchanged.
How does this benefit patients and families?
The partnership is designed to strengthen consistency across donation practices, accelerate the adoption of leading clinical and operational approaches, and ultimately help more patients receive lifesaving transplants.
Why is this happening now?
The donation and transplantation system is evolving, with increasing expectations for performance and accountability. This partnership is a proactive step to help shape the future.
