This year’s “Wave Away the Waiting” forNational Minority Donor Awareness Month(previously National Minority Donor Aware -ness Week) brought together hundreds ofindividuals from various communities tounite and support organ/tissue donation inmulticultural communities. Secretary ofState Jesse White kicked off the event, heldAugust 5 at the James R. Thompson Centerin Chicago, with an impactful speechencouraging organ donation in multicultur-al communities.

“There is a long list of people waiting fortransplants within multicultural communi-ties,” said Secretary White. “Kidneys arevery much in need. Because genetic match-es between people belonging to the sameethnic group are, many times, most suc-cessful, it is imperative that people of simi-lar ethnicities become organ and tissuedonors.”

In addition to the inspirational speech fromSecretary White, transplant recipient andCook County Commissioner Robert Steeleshared his heart-warming story of howdonation affected his life. Transplant recip-ient Laura Barajas also shared her story ofhow one donor saved her life. Additionalspeakers included Gift of Hope CEO KevinCmunt and Jack Lynch, African-AmericanTask Force, Gift of Hope.

The event also showcased performances bythe Jesse White Tumbling Team, SpencerTechnology Academy Dance for Life team,living kidney donor Aaron Hurns, PraiseDancers from Lebanon Baptist Church,soloist Bridgette Campbell and the RebeccaMcCarthy School of Dance Irish dancers.

The Secretary of State’s Organ/Tissue DonorProgram would like to thank Donate Life

I want to extend a huge thank you toeveryone who helped promote organ/tissue donation over the summer andthis fall. This summer, we reached outto countless Illinoisans with our donormessage through donor registrationtables at outdoor fairs, festivals andcommunity events.

In August, we held the second “WaveAway the Waiting” event duringNational Minority Donor AwarenessMonth. “Wave Away the Waiting” callsattention to the need for more minor-ity donors in Illinois and throughoutthe country as minorities continue towait in very large numbers for trans-plants.

Our partnership with the many agen-cies that comprise Donate Life Illinoisis vital to the success of the DonorPro gram. Read about Donate LifeIllinois’ member organizations in thisissue, and learn what each group con-tributes to the collaboration.

In November, we continue to get theword out about the critical need fordonation as we observe NationalDonor Sabbath, a national observanceof reaching out to parishioners andfaith community leaders about theimportance of donation. If you knowof someone with a donor story to tell,encourage them to share it with theirclergy and fellow worshipers thisweekend.

I look forward to continuing spreadingour lifesaving donor message this falland encourage you to get involved aswell. I thank facility employees for yourcontinued work in helping us with ourmission. You make a difference.

Jesse WhiteSecretary of State

Secretary of State Jesse White • Fal

l 2014

Secretary White, center in white shirt, stands surrounded by supporters of National Minority Donor Awareness Month at thesecond “Wave Away the Waiting“ donor awareness event held August 5 at the Thompson Center in Chicago.

“Wave Away the Waiting”

The Southern Illinois Miners (baseball)organization has hosted Organ/TissueDonor Night at Rent One Park in Marion,Ill., for eight years to raise awareness ofthe need for Illinoisans to register asorgan/tissue donors. The Secretary ofState’s office has been fortunate to workwith the Southern Illinois Miners inspreading this important message. Thisyear, Secretary White presented theorganization a Donate Life ChampionAward at its donor night at Rent One Parkon June 3. This award is a way of thankingthe athletic community for their supportof donation and transplantation. Teamowners John and Jayne Simmons accept-ed the award on behalf of the Minersorganization.

The Casey Williams Foundation, createdin 2009 after tissue donor Casey Williamspassed away, promotes organ/tissue dona -tion. In their quest to keep Casey’s mem-ory alive, Casey’s family and friends were

thrilled to receive a Donate Life ChampionAward this year. Courtney Williams Hilerand Chebli Williams accepted the awardon the foundation’s behalf. The founda-tion hosts an annual volleyball tourna-

ment to raise funds for organ/tissuedonation, scholarships to area schoolsand to assist with event expenses such asthe Decatur Roller Derby.

♻ Printed on recycled paper. Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. November 2014 — 2M — EX 34

National Minority Donor Awareness event draws crowds

National Donor Sabbath Observance is November 14-16, 2014

Donate Life Champion Award winners

(Above left) Secretary White throws out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game during Organ/Tissue Donor Day at Busch Stadium. (Above center) Mike Warren, presidentof Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mt. Vernon, accepts an award from Secretary White at a ceremony honoring the hospital’s achievement in donation consent and conver-sion rates. (Above right) The 12th Annual “Nick’s Race,” in honor of donor Nick Volk, was held on Saturday, June 21 at Sam Parr State Park in Newton. The event creates awareness fororgan/tissue donation and raises funds for donor education, scholarships and programs at Nick’s former school. Pictured from left to right: Lee Volk, Nick’s father; Jay Landers, LifeGoes On/Gift of Hope volunteer and donor father; Pat Landers, Life Goes On/Gift Of Hope volunteer and donor mother; and Sue Volk, Nick’s mother.

Secretary of State Jesse White gathers with members of the Casey Williams Foundation at Organ/Tissue Donor Night atRent One Park in Marion. Front row (left to right): Darsie Sanders, Kathy Jordan, Aden Sanders, Cheryll Swigert, KeeganSanders, Secretary White, Chelbi Williams, Jordan Stoune, Courtney Williams-Hiler, Alicia Gullidge, Rachel Holthaus-Williams and Brittany Reatherford. Back row (left to right): Pat Williams, Eric Swigert, Keith Swigert and Brian Hiler.

National Donor Sabbath, a national religious observation and celebration of the importance of donation will be observed onFriday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 16. During this three-day weekend, faith leaders of different religions, donor families, trans-plant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in religious services and programs to promote theneed for organ and tissue donation.

Southern Illinois Miners and Casey Williams Foundation honored for donor efforts

(continued on page 2)

LIFE GOES ON. BE AN ORGAN/TISSUE DONOR.

The Office of Secretary of State partnerswith many organizations to help promoteorgan and tissue donation in Illinois. Thiscollaboration, Donate Life Illinois (DLI), is acoalition of agencies involved with organ,tissue, eye, blood and marrow donation, aswell as donor education and registration inIllinois. DLI is one of 45 regional coalitionsand 50 national businesses or associationsthat make up Donate Life America, a not-for-profit alliance that serves as a nationalvoice for advancing donation.

The mission of the Secretary of State’sOrgan/Tissue Donor Program is tostrengthen Illinois’ Organ/Tissue DonorRegistry through outreach and registrationinitiatives. The program’s regional coordi-nators assist with community events anddonor registration drives throughout thestate. One of the Donor Program’s primaryresponsibilities is to increase the number inthe state’s donor registry, a database ofindividuals in Illinois who have given theirlegal consent to donation. The donor reg-istry now stands at 5.6 million people.

DLI member organizations promote com-munity events such as the “Be A Hero!”Community College Campaign and “WaveAway the Waiting.” In addition, DLI part-ners collaborate on annual national dona-tion observances such as Donate LifeMonth and National Donor Sabbath.

The chairman of Donate Life Illinois isDonald A. Greene II, executive director ofBio logical Re source Center of Illinois, andthe co-chairman is Josh Mueller, managerof communications for Gift of Hope Organand Tissue Donor Network. Mem ber groupsinclude two organ procurement organiza-tions (OPOs): Gift of Hope Organ and TissueDonor Network in Itasca, Ill., and Mid-America Transplant Services in St. Louis,Mo. Donate Life Illinois member organiza-tions include:

Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue DonorNetwork coordinates organ and tissue

donation and provides public educationon donation in northern Illinois andnorthwestern Indiana. As one of 58 OPOsthat make up the nation’s donation sys-tem, it works with 180 hospitals andserves 12 million people in its donationservice area. Since 1987, the network hassaved the lives of more than 18,000 organtransplant recipients and has improvedthe lives of hundreds of thousands morethrough tissue transplants.

Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS)serves as the regional organ and tissueprocurement organization for easternMissouri, southern Illinois and northeast-ern Arkansas, serving 4.5 million people in84 counties. MTS is dedicated to savinglives and enhancing the quality of alldonated organs and tissues currentlyavailable for transplant. Located in SaintLouis, Mo., MTS is one of 58 federally des-ignated OPOs of its kind in the country.

Biological Resource Center of Illinois(BRCIL) offers individuals alternativechoices for the preservation of life. BRCILacts as a “bridge” between those individ-uals who donate their bodies and themedical research and educational com-munity.

Saving Sight preserves and restores sightand retrieves, processes and distributesthe highest quality donor eye tissue tocorneal surgeons in a three-state regionincluding Missouri, Kansas and Illinoisbefore it’s offered to surgeons nationallyand internationally.

The Illinois Eye-Bank preserves andrestores sight through transportation,research, education and partnership.Founded in 1947 at Cook County Hospitalin Chicago, Ill., the Illinois Eye-Bank wasonly the fourth organization of its kind inthe country. It continues to strive toincrease U.S. and international distribu-tion of surgical cornea tissue.

American Liver Foundation of Illinoisfacilitates, advocates and promotes edu-cation, support and research for the pre-vention, treatment and cure of liver disease.

LifeSource provides blood products to thethousands of patients who need transfu-sions each year. Operating donor centerslocated throughout the Chicagoland area,Lifesource centers collect whole blooddonations, in addition to platelet andplas ma products.

The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois(NKFI) improves the health and well-being of people at risk for or affected bykidney disease through prevention andeducation. NKFI, an affiliate of theNational Kidney Foundation based in NewYork, N.Y., together fund more than onethird of all medical research for kidneydisease performed in the U.S. The Illinoisaffiliate is a leader in educating the publicabout the prevention of kidney diseasethrough its KidneyMobile®, which offersfree screenings for diabetes, high bloodpressure and chronic kidney disease.

The National Marrow Donor Program®(NMDP) provides bone marrow andumbilical cord blood transplants topatients in need. The NMDP operates theBe The Match Registry®, the world’slargest listing of potential marrow donorsand donated cord blood units. The pro-gram also raises funds to help providetransplants to all patients through the BeThe Match Foundation®.

The Rock River Valley Blood Center(RRVBC) provides safe, high-value bloodproducts and services to people in need.The RRVBC must collect more than 1,000units of blood each week to meet theneeds of its eight hospitals. The centerrelies on donors from Winnebago, Boone,McHenry, Ogle and Stephenson countiesin Illinois and Rock County in Wisconsin.

Employee Connection

Francine Dzialo and her daughter Kimberlee Caccamo.

Lung transplant saves Aurora Driver Services facility

employee’s mother

Aurora Driver Services facility employeeKimberlee Caccamo knows what it’s like tosee a loved one gasp for air, knowing thatit’s only going to get worse. For Kim, see-ing her mother, Francine Dzialo, age 66,suffer from COPD and emphysema wasvery difficult. Francine had difficultybreathing for several years and was finallyplaced on the transplant list in January2013. In and out of the hospital and onoxygen, Francine’s life now depended onthe generous gift of a donor.

After 15 months on the waiting list,Francine received her new lungs, a bilater-al lung transplant, on April 4, 2014, at theUniversity of Chicago. She had been downto 10 percent lung capacity prior to thetransplant. She was released from the hos-pital after just a week.

“Each day she got stronger and stronger,”said Kim. “The doctors were wonderful. Icannot express my gratitude,” she added.Kim’s dad, John, helped care for Francineduring her illness and post-transplant.“She’s on lots of medications, but she isvery healthy and active now after thetransplant,” Kim added. Kim and Francineare both happy that Francine can continueto be a part of Kim’s three children’s lives—daughter, Gianna, 26; and two sons, Lenny,25, and Dominic, 22.

Our Donate Life Illinois partnersCollaboration strong in Illinois

Secretary White speaks to the crowd gathered at “Wave Away the Waiting” in honor of National Minority DonorAwareness Month. From left: Sonji Woods, kidney and pancreas recipient; Secretary White; Robert Steele, CookCounty Commissioner and kidney recipient; and Connie Boatman, manager of the Secretary of State’s Organ andTissue Donor Program.

“Wave Away the Waiting” (continued from page 1)

Illinois, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Walgreens for sponsoring the event and provid-ing refreshments. Thanks to the many Donate Life Illinois partners for supportingthe event and providing event participants with valuable information about dona-tion. Each contribution made this year’s “Wave Away the Waiting” one to remem-ber.

“Wave Away the Waiting” supporters include: Jack Lynch, African-American Task Force, Gift of Hope; LauraBarajas, kidney recipient; Secretary of State Jesse White; Sonji Woods, kidney and pancreas recipient; RobertSteele, Cook County Commissioner and kidney recipient; and Kevin Cmunt, CEO, Gift of Hope.

(Above left) Irish dancers from Rebecca McCarthy School of Dance surround Secretary of State Jesse White atthe “Wave Away the Waiting” event August 5 for National Minority Donor Awareness Month.

(Above right) Praise dancers from the Lebanon Baptist Church perform at the “Wave Away the Waiting” eventAugust 5 for National Minority Donor Awareness Month.

LIFE GOES ON. BE AN ORGAN/TISSUE DONOR.

The Office of Secretary of State partnerswith many organizations to help promoteorgan and tissue donation in Illinois. Thiscollaboration, Donate Life Illinois (DLI), is acoalition of agencies involved with organ,tissue, eye, blood and marrow donation, aswell as donor education and registration inIllinois. DLI is one of 45 regional coalitionsand 50 national businesses or associationsthat make up Donate Life America, a not-for-profit alliance that serves as a nationalvoice for advancing donation.

The mission of the Secretary of State’sOrgan/Tissue Donor Program is tostrengthen Illinois’ Organ/Tissue DonorRegistry through outreach and registrationinitiatives. The program’s regional coordi-nators assist with community events anddonor registration drives throughout thestate. One of the Donor Program’s primaryresponsibilities is to increase the number inthe state’s donor registry, a database ofindividuals in Illinois who have given theirlegal consent to donation. The donor reg-istry now stands at 5.6 million people.

DLI member organizations promote com-munity events such as the “Be A Hero!”Community College Campaign and “WaveAway the Waiting.” In addition, DLI part-ners collaborate on annual national dona-tion observances such as Donate LifeMonth and National Donor Sabbath.

The chairman of Donate Life Illinois isDonald A. Greene II, executive director ofBio logical Re source Center of Illinois, andthe co-chairman is Josh Mueller, managerof communications for Gift of Hope Organand Tissue Donor Network. Mem ber groupsinclude two organ procurement organiza-tions (OPOs): Gift of Hope Organ and TissueDonor Network in Itasca, Ill., and Mid-America Transplant Services in St. Louis,Mo. Donate Life Illinois member organiza-tions include:

Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue DonorNetwork coordinates organ and tissue

donation and provides public educationon donation in northern Illinois andnorthwestern Indiana. As one of 58 OPOsthat make up the nation’s donation sys-tem, it works with 180 hospitals andserves 12 million people in its donationservice area. Since 1987, the network hassaved the lives of more than 18,000 organtransplant recipients and has improvedthe lives of hundreds of thousands morethrough tissue transplants.

Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS)serves as the regional organ and tissueprocurement organization for easternMissouri, southern Illinois and northeast-ern Arkansas, serving 4.5 million people in84 counties. MTS is dedicated to savinglives and enhancing the quality of alldonated organs and tissues currentlyavailable for transplant. Located in SaintLouis, Mo., MTS is one of 58 federally des-ignated OPOs of its kind in the country.

Biological Resource Center of Illinois(BRCIL) offers individuals alternativechoices for the preservation of life. BRCILacts as a “bridge” between those individ-uals who donate their bodies and themedical research and educational com-munity.

Saving Sight preserves and restores sightand retrieves, processes and distributesthe highest quality donor eye tissue tocorneal surgeons in a three-state regionincluding Missouri, Kansas and Illinoisbefore it’s offered to surgeons nationallyand internationally.

The Illinois Eye-Bank preserves andrestores sight through transportation,research, education and partnership.Founded in 1947 at Cook County Hospitalin Chicago, Ill., the Illinois Eye-Bank wasonly the fourth organization of its kind inthe country. It continues to strive toincrease U.S. and international distribu-tion of surgical cornea tissue.

American Liver Foundation of Illinoisfacilitates, advocates and promotes edu-cation, support and research for the pre-vention, treatment and cure of liver disease.

LifeSource provides blood products to thethousands of patients who need transfu-sions each year. Operating donor centerslocated throughout the Chicagoland area,Lifesource centers collect whole blooddonations, in addition to platelet andplas ma products.

The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois(NKFI) improves the health and well-being of people at risk for or affected bykidney disease through prevention andeducation. NKFI, an affiliate of theNational Kidney Foundation based in NewYork, N.Y., together fund more than onethird of all medical research for kidneydisease performed in the U.S. The Illinoisaffiliate is a leader in educating the publicabout the prevention of kidney diseasethrough its KidneyMobile®, which offersfree screenings for diabetes, high bloodpressure and chronic kidney disease.

The National Marrow Donor Program®(NMDP) provides bone marrow andumbilical cord blood transplants topatients in need. The NMDP operates theBe The Match Registry®, the world’slargest listing of potential marrow donorsand donated cord blood units. The pro-gram also raises funds to help providetransplants to all patients through the BeThe Match Foundation®.

The Rock River Valley Blood Center(RRVBC) provides safe, high-value bloodproducts and services to people in need.The RRVBC must collect more than 1,000units of blood each week to meet theneeds of its eight hospitals. The centerrelies on donors from Winnebago, Boone,McHenry, Ogle and Stephenson countiesin Illinois and Rock County in Wisconsin.

Employee Connection

Francine Dzialo and her daughter Kimberlee Caccamo.

Lung transplant saves Aurora Driver Services facility

employee’s mother

Aurora Driver Services facility employeeKimberlee Caccamo knows what it’s like tosee a loved one gasp for air, knowing thatit’s only going to get worse. For Kim, see-ing her mother, Francine Dzialo, age 66,suffer from COPD and emphysema wasvery difficult. Francine had difficultybreathing for several years and was finallyplaced on the transplant list in January2013. In and out of the hospital and onoxygen, Francine’s life now depended onthe generous gift of a donor.

After 15 months on the waiting list,Francine received her new lungs, a bilater-al lung transplant, on April 4, 2014, at theUniversity of Chicago. She had been downto 10 percent lung capacity prior to thetransplant. She was released from the hos-pital after just a week.

“Each day she got stronger and stronger,”said Kim. “The doctors were wonderful. Icannot express my gratitude,” she added.Kim’s dad, John, helped care for Francineduring her illness and post-transplant.“She’s on lots of medications, but she isvery healthy and active now after thetransplant,” Kim added. Kim and Francineare both happy that Francine can continueto be a part of Kim’s three children’s lives—daughter, Gianna, 26; and two sons, Lenny,25, and Dominic, 22.

Our Donate Life Illinois partnersCollaboration strong in Illinois

Secretary White speaks to the crowd gathered at “Wave Away the Waiting” in honor of National Minority DonorAwareness Month. From left: Sonji Woods, kidney and pancreas recipient; Secretary White; Robert Steele, CookCounty Commissioner and kidney recipient; and Connie Boatman, manager of the Secretary of State’s Organ andTissue Donor Program.

“Wave Away the Waiting” (continued from page 1)

Illinois, Sam’s Club, Walmart and Walgreens for sponsoring the event and provid-ing refreshments. Thanks to the many Donate Life Illinois partners for supportingthe event and providing event participants with valuable information about dona-tion. Each contribution made this year’s “Wave Away the Waiting” one to remem-ber.

“Wave Away the Waiting” supporters include: Jack Lynch, African-American Task Force, Gift of Hope; LauraBarajas, kidney recipient; Secretary of State Jesse White; Sonji Woods, kidney and pancreas recipient; RobertSteele, Cook County Commissioner and kidney recipient; and Kevin Cmunt, CEO, Gift of Hope.

(Above left) Irish dancers from Rebecca McCarthy School of Dance surround Secretary of State Jesse White atthe “Wave Away the Waiting” event August 5 for National Minority Donor Awareness Month.

(Above right) Praise dancers from the Lebanon Baptist Church perform at the “Wave Away the Waiting” eventAugust 5 for National Minority Donor Awareness Month.

LGO Spring 14.qxp_Life Goes On Summer 2007 11/10/14 1:23 PM Page 2

This year’s “Wave Away the Waiting” forNational Minority Donor Awareness Month(previously National Minority Donor Aware -ness Week) brought together hundreds ofindividuals from various communities tounite and support organ/tissue donation inmulticultural communities. Secretary ofState Jesse White kicked off the event, heldAugust 5 at the James R. Thompson Centerin Chicago, with an impactful speechencouraging organ donation in multicultur-al communities.

“There is a long list of people waiting fortransplants within multicultural communi-ties,” said Secretary White. “Kidneys arevery much in need. Because genetic match-es between people belonging to the sameethnic group are, many times, most suc-cessful, it is imperative that people of simi-lar ethnicities become organ and tissuedonors.”

In addition to the inspirational speech fromSecretary White, transplant recipient andCook County Commissioner Robert Steeleshared his heart-warming story of howdonation affected his life. Transplant recip-ient Laura Barajas also shared her story ofhow one donor saved her life. Additionalspeakers included Gift of Hope CEO KevinCmunt and Jack Lynch, African-AmericanTask Force, Gift of Hope.

The event also showcased performances bythe Jesse White Tumbling Team, SpencerTechnology Academy Dance for Life team,living kidney donor Aaron Hurns, PraiseDancers from Lebanon Baptist Church,soloist Bridgette Campbell and the RebeccaMcCarthy School of Dance Irish dancers.

The Secretary of State’s Organ/Tissue DonorProgram would like to thank Donate Life

I want to extend a huge thank you toeveryone who helped promote organ/tissue donation over the summer andthis fall. This summer, we reached outto countless Illinoisans with our donormessage through donor registrationtables at outdoor fairs, festivals andcommunity events.

In August, we held the second “WaveAway the Waiting” event duringNational Minority Donor AwarenessMonth. “Wave Away the Waiting” callsattention to the need for more minor-ity donors in Illinois and throughoutthe country as minorities continue towait in very large numbers for trans-plants.

Our partnership with the many agen-cies that comprise Donate Life Illinoisis vital to the success of the DonorPro gram. Read about Donate LifeIllinois’ member organizations in thisissue, and learn what each group con-tributes to the collaboration.

In November, we continue to get theword out about the critical need fordonation as we observe NationalDonor Sabbath, a national observanceof reaching out to parishioners andfaith community leaders about theimportance of donation. If you knowof someone with a donor story to tell,encourage them to share it with theirclergy and fellow worshipers thisweekend.

I look forward to continuing spreadingour lifesaving donor message this falland encourage you to get involved aswell. I thank facility employees for yourcontinued work in helping us with ourmission. You make a difference.

Jesse WhiteSecretary of State

Secretary of State Jesse White • Fal

l 2014

Secretary White, center in white shirt, stands surrounded by supporters of National Minority Donor Awareness Month at thesecond “Wave Away the Waiting“ donor awareness event held August 5 at the Thompson Center in Chicago.

“Wave Away the Waiting”

The Southern Illinois Miners (baseball)organization has hosted Organ/TissueDonor Night at Rent One Park in Marion,Ill., for eight years to raise awareness ofthe need for Illinoisans to register asorgan/tissue donors. The Secretary ofState’s office has been fortunate to workwith the Southern Illinois Miners inspreading this important message. Thisyear, Secretary White presented theorganization a Donate Life ChampionAward at its donor night at Rent One Parkon June 3. This award is a way of thankingthe athletic community for their supportof donation and transplantation. Teamowners John and Jayne Simmons accept-ed the award on behalf of the Minersorganization.

The Casey Williams Foundation, createdin 2009 after tissue donor Casey Williamspassed away, promotes organ/tissue dona -tion. In their quest to keep Casey’s mem-ory alive, Casey’s family and friends were

thrilled to receive a Donate Life ChampionAward this year. Courtney Williams Hilerand Chebli Williams accepted the awardon the foundation’s behalf. The founda-tion hosts an annual volleyball tourna-

ment to raise funds for organ/tissuedonation, scholarships to area schoolsand to assist with event expenses such asthe Decatur Roller Derby.

♻ Printed on recycled paper. Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. November 2014 — 2M — EX 34

National Minority Donor Awareness event draws crowds

National Donor Sabbath Observance is November 14-16, 2014

Donate Life Champion Award winners

(Above left) Secretary White throws out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game during Organ/Tissue Donor Day at Busch Stadium. (Above center) Mike Warren, presidentof Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mt. Vernon, accepts an award from Secretary White at a ceremony honoring the hospital’s achievement in donation consent and conver-sion rates. (Above right) The 12th Annual “Nick’s Race,” in honor of donor Nick Volk, was held on Saturday, June 21 at Sam Parr State Park in Newton. The event creates awareness fororgan/tissue donation and raises funds for donor education, scholarships and programs at Nick’s former school. Pictured from left to right: Lee Volk, Nick’s father; Jay Landers, LifeGoes On/Gift of Hope volunteer and donor father; Pat Landers, Life Goes On/Gift Of Hope volunteer and donor mother; and Sue Volk, Nick’s mother.

Secretary of State Jesse White gathers with members of the Casey Williams Foundation at Organ/Tissue Donor Night atRent One Park in Marion. Front row (left to right): Darsie Sanders, Kathy Jordan, Aden Sanders, Cheryll Swigert, KeeganSanders, Secretary White, Chelbi Williams, Jordan Stoune, Courtney Williams-Hiler, Alicia Gullidge, Rachel Holthaus-Williams and Brittany Reatherford. Back row (left to right): Pat Williams, Eric Swigert, Keith Swigert and Brian Hiler.

National Donor Sabbath, a national religious observation and celebration of the importance of donation will be observed onFriday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 16. During this three-day weekend, faith leaders of different religions, donor families, trans-plant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in religious services and programs to promote theneed for organ and tissue donation.

Southern Illinois Miners and Casey Williams Foundation honored for donor efforts

(continued on page 2)