With a grant from the Gift of Life Foundation, Donate Life Coalition of Michigan continues its Contact Hour session for health ministry personnel (nurses, chaplains, pastoral care providers, faith leaders, social workers and medical staff) with the program, "Bringing Organ Donation Awareness To Our Faith Communities -- Addressing Interfaith End-of-Life Decisions." Registration is now OPEN for this year's program, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, October 3, 2008, at Oakdale Park Church in Grand Rapids. Donate Life Coalition of Michigan hosts this event along with the Grand Rapids Area Health Ministry Consortium, Healthcare Clergy of West Michigan, Gift of Life Foundation, Gift of Life Michigan, Michigan Eye-Bank and Gift of Life MOTTEP. The Michigan Nurses Association has approved 4.2 contact hours for the seminar, and a Social Work clock hour application will be submitted. The fee to attend this session is $10; free on-site parking is available. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. This day of education and awareness offers attendees a view of palliative care/end-of-life issues and a spiritual perspective of organ donation with personal recipient/donor family impact stories. It explains the organ donation process and clarifies common myths and misconceptions. An interactive session is also used to explain how to bring the message to faith communities.

To register, please download and complete a form and mail, fax, email it to Cathy Warren.
If you have questions, please contact Cathy at 248-701-2323 or email mmcc589@sbcglobal.net.

National Kidney Foundation of Michigan
October 16

NKFM will host an Italian wine and food pairing at Vinology in Ann Arbor. 
For more details, download the flier.

16th annual Betty Buckley Donor Family Ceremony is Oct. 19

Gift of Life Michigan will honor organ and tissue donors from last year at this beautiful ceremony from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., October 19. The event will take place at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. It will include opportunities to pin up newly created quilt squares, have a family photo taken with the quilts, see your loved-one's photo in a slideshow presentation and receive the U.S. Surgeon General's Certificate of Appreciation. Invitations were mailed in mid- to late-August to families of those who became donors in 2007.

For detailed information about this year's Donor Family Ceremony, please click here to download a flier of information.

Volunteer Training, Ann Arbor
November 1, 2008
9 a.m.-noon  Basic Training
1-4 p.m.  Speaker's Bureau Training

This is training is for all Gift of Life volunteers and anyone wishing to learn more about the organ and tissue donation process. In the morning session (9 a.m.-noon), you will learn who can become a donor, what is the Donor Registry and how it works, how to address myths and misconceptions about donation, the Tell Us Now campaign, and upcoming volunteer opportunities in your area.  In the afternoon session (1-4 p.m.), you will learn how to talk to the public about your personal story of how you are touched by organ and tissue donation. Everyone is welcome, including organ and tissue recipients, donor family members, caregivers, and anyone else wishing to encourage others to sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry.

Download a flyer

Please register by October 24th to Kim at: 734-922-1042 or kzasa@giftoflifemichigan.org

6th Annual Gift of Life University Challenge, statewide
January 14 - February 25, 2009

Campuses across the state will be competing for two trophies, awarded to the school with the most donor registrations and the school with the most registrations in comparison to student population. This six week contest is open to all public and private colleges and universities in Michigan. For more information, please contact Jennifer Tislerics at jtislerics@giftoflifemichigan.org or call 800-482-4881.