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| The Gift of Life Michigan Donor Family Advisory Committee. |
The Donor Family Advisory Committee was developed in 1992 with six donor families who joined forces with Gift of Life Michigan to help provide support to donor families and to promote donor awareness. Today, the group has grown to include 14 organ, tissue and eye donor families.
Gift of Life Michigan honors the Donor Family Advisory Committee for their work in helping to create Best Practices in the donation process. Throughout the years, the Donor Family Advisory Committee has been instrumental in developing multiple projects such as:
- A "Thank You" card program for transplant centers that provides cards for newly
transplanted recipients to send to their donor families
- A peer network of donor families throughout Michigan who work with newly bereaved
families in their time of loss
- A funeral home program designed to provide donor families the option of having an obituary/death notice to signify that their loved one was an organ and/or tissue donor
- A three year grant from the Division of Transplantation to create The Donor Family
Journey on Transweb
- A permanent memorial plaque at the "Forever Green" tree on the grounds of the
Michigan State Capitol in Lansing
- A video entitled Give So Others Can Live that is used across the state for professional
and public awareness.
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| Members of the DFAC along with lung recipient Ron Battiata and is wife Nancy, work to staff a Gift of Life information booth at the Bay City Festival in July 2006. |
In May 2004, the members of Gift of Life's Donor Family Advisory Committee filed an application with the state of Michigan to obtain 501 (c) 3 non-profit status, to become the Michigan Donor Family Council (MDFC). The goals of the foundation are to: provide a support system unique to donor families; educate and bring awareness about organ and tissue donation; and provide assistance for families participating in the Health and Human Services National Donor Family Recognition Ceremony. Several members of the committee are involved on a national level, participating in various organizations that support organ and tissue donation.
In an effort to provide resources for donor families, the MDFC will be involved in fundraising activities, such as the "2005 Remembering You Gala", golf outings, etc. They will also seek corporate funding and will accept donations from individuals.
This committee meets every other month to discuss issues related to donor families in Michigan. They also participate in our annual Betty Buckley Donor Family Ceremony and volunteer throughout the state at many public and professional education events.
If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Council,
please contact us.
Team Michigan at the Transplant Games -
Louisville, KY June 16-21, 2006
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| The Michigan Donor Family Council travels to the Transplant Games in Louisville, KY last June. |
The U.S. Transplant Games is a four-day athletic competition among recipients of organ transplants. Team Michigan consisted of donor families, recipients and various other supporters of donation/transplantation.
This year, a special meeting took place during the Donor Family Ceremony at the Games. Michigan donor parents, Eugene and Sue Toth, lost their son Steven in 2000. They had the special honor of meeting Steven's liver recipient, Kim Burdakin, at this year's games.
Congratulations!
See more photos of Team Michigan at: http://www.kidney.org/news/tgames/index.cfm
