Mom Honors Her Son
Dana Saunders' son Kylan died four years ago awaiting a liver transplant. Dana decided to channel her grief and honor Kylan by becoming a volunteer
with Gift of Life Michigan and the Donate Life Coalition of Michigan. Soon Dana knew just how she would honor her beautiful boy. It started out with a
small float on a snowmobile trailer that she and her sister Brenda built it out of Kylan's old bunkbed. It was a little boat called the S. S. Kylan.
They put it in their first parade in Chesterfield, MI in the summer of 2007 and went on to do 17 more parades last summer. From Lapeer to Armada, they
covered more than 500 miles as they hitched a trailer and took Kylan's Gift of Life float across the state, with candy, donor registries and lots of
support from family and friends.
"I am so proud of this float." says Dana. "When we walk past the announcer and he tells Kylan's story and mentions Gift of Life Michigan, I get all
teary eyed. This really has been built out of love by the Hollenbecks, my sister and I. I think it's a great story about all of us coming together to
promote organ donation.....and its very close to our hearts."
The float is an incredible tribute to Kylan and all waiting donors. In fact, Dana has told us that everywhere she goes, people come up to her, many
with tears in their eyes, to share their donation story. Dana is the Volunteer Area Leader for Macomb County. She plans to attend several parades in
2008...please consider joining them!
New Baltimore Fishfly Festival June 29, 1:00 p.m.
Algonac Lions Pickerel Tournament July 6, 2:00 p.m.
Port Huron Rotary International Parade July 9, 6:30 p.m.
Capac Summer Festival Grand Parade July 19, 6:00 p.m
LIFEWalk July 26
Yale Big Bologna Parade July 26, 6:00 p.m.
Memphis Festival Days Parade ...still pending date and time (last year it was on August 3rd)
Lapeer Days Parade August 16, 11:00 a.m.
Romeo Peach Festival Parade September 1 (time pending)
Buddy Day 2008
Buddy Day 2008 was an outstanding success thanks to your extraordinary efforts to encourage others to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. This year, nearly 400 buddies staffed display tables at all of the Secretary of State Branch Offices statewide! This was the first year ever that we
had a Buddy in every branch - We couldn't do it without you!
Your collaboration with the branch mangers and the local media resulted in educating thousands about the importance of signing up on the Donor
Registry during Buddy Day. Buddies helped the public learn about donation on a personal level at the branch offices and helped send the message to
thousands more by participating in interviews with newspaper reporters, radio talk show programs and local cable and television news broadcasts.
This year's Buddy Day was the most successful to date thanks entirely to you and your commitment to helping others understand the impact that one
life can have on so many others through the gifts of life, sight and mobility. On Buddy Day, Secretary of State processed 402 donor registrations on
the web and 2,418 in the branch for a total of 2,820. In the branch offices they saw a jump of 487 donor registrations over last year's Buddy Day.
GREAT JOB!
| Buddy Day 2008 photos |
 |
 |
| Above: Ben and Karen Hayes, Tawas branch, on Buddy Day, April 2, 2008. Ben received a lung transplant in 2004. |
Above: Bob Meyer, kidney recipient, encouraging a Secretary of State patron to tell the clerk that she would like to sign up on the donor registry |
 |
 |
| .Above: John Krienke, Lion member, Aimee Smith-Cruz, liver recipient, and Teresa Schoffner, kidney recipient, at the Ypsilanti branch on Buddy Day 2008. |
Above: Tami Jacobs, heart recipient, and Marilyn Parthun, Lion member, at the Kalamazoo branch on Buddy Day 2008 |
Summer Fairs
Ann Arbor Art Fair - The annual Ann Arbor Art Fair was a great fun-filled event again this year where over 100 people signed up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry at our donor designation station.
The four day event was staffed by over 40 Gift of Life and Michigan Eye Bank volunteers. Great job, Volunteers!
National Donate
Life Month
With over 18,000 donor registrations during April, this year's National Donate Life Month was a huge success, exceeding the previous record set in January 2007 with 15,682 registrations.
Buddy Week 2006
Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land led a whirlwind tour of Michigan during "Buddy Week". With 6 news conferences in 5 days, over a dozen radio interviews and "Shining Star Award" presentations across the state, Secretary Land has now taken on the cause of organ and tissue donation as her own. During Buddy Week a record number of 8,089 Michigan residents signed up on the Donor Registry, compared to just over 2,000 last year. Thank you volunteer Buddies!
Team Michigan 2005 World Transplant Games
Five members from Team Michigan became members of Team USA in the World Transplant Games that were held in London, Ontario this past July. Here are the results:
Terry Gould:
7 Gold Medals, Swimming
T.J. Maciak:
1 Silver, 1 Bronze, Bowling 6th Place, Cricket Ball Throw
Mary Catherine Siers:
Silver, Golf
Teresa Snyder:
1 Gold, 1 Silver, Bowling
Carol Woodbridge:
4th Place, Swimming
Congratulations to all who participated and represented the USA so well!
