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P A R T N E R S H I P S
Donate Life Month
CORE partnered with dozens
of hospitals and community
organizations to raise awareness
for organ, tissue and cornea
donation, and to encourage
individuals to register as a donor.
The events
included flag
raising ceremonies
at hospitals
throughout
Pennsylvania and
West Virginia,
as well as
presentations at
high schools and
DMV displays.
National Donate
Life Month was
instituted by Donate Life America
and its partner organizations
in 2003. Celebrated in April, it
features an entire month of local,
regional and national activities
to help encourage Americans
to register as organ, tissue and
cornea donors and to celebrate
those that have saved lives
through the gift of donation.
As part of this observance,
National Blue and Green Day is
an initiative to get people talking
about organ donation, why it
is important, and how easy it
is to sign up. CORE worked to
encourage people to wear blue
and green to show their support.
When his sister Aaren was diagnosed with lupus
and suffered kidney failure, Scott simply knew it
was something he would do if he could.
“I looked at it as, I have two kidneys and she
needs one,” Scott says. “I knew I could afford to
give her one and it would make that difference
for her.”
After several years of dialysis for Aaren, she was
finally given the green light to receive a kidney—
and Scott found out he was a match.
Since the surgeries in 2013, both Aaren and
Scott are doing wonderfully—both participating
in the 2015 Pittsburgh Kidney Walk and doing
volunteer work for CORE and the National
Kidney Foundation.
Scott says. “[Living donation] is
something I felt obligated to do,
and I’m glad I had the opportunity.”
I’m grateful that I
could help Aaren, and
I think it’s something
most people would do
to help someone else
if they knew,
“
”
Heather Chestney, CORE
volunteer at Altoona DMV
CORE teammembers
