Connections 2q14 final lr

Second Quarter 2014

A Newsletter for Gift of Hope’s Partners and Friends

A Young Man’s Decision to Be A Donor Sparks an International Good-Deed Movement

IN THIS ISSUE National Donate Life Month Community Outreach Awards Charitable Giving Event Hospitals for Hope

President/CEO J. Kevin Cmunt

IN THIS ISSUE

Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs David Bosch 630/758-2726 dbosch@giftofhope.org

5

6

Outreach Awards

Charity Begins at Home

Gift of Hope has been recognized and honored for excellence in raising public awareness of organ and tissue donation and moving people to register as donors.

To give back to the community, Gift of Hope’s Charitable Giving Committee provided financial and manpower support for a donor family’s home renovation project.

Writer/Editor Tony Sullivan 630/758-2721 tsullivan@giftofhope.org Contributors Raiza Mendoza 630/758-2744 rmendoza@giftofhope.org Josh Muller 630/758-2743 jmuller@giftofhope.org Heidi Schaiberger 630/758-2740 hschaiberger@giftofhope.org

7

8

Scholarships for Hope

Paying it Forward

Gift of Hope’s A Summer Filled with Hope Fashion Charity Event helped to raise funds for 24 scholarships to support learning opportunities for Latino students.

Michael Collins chose to be a donor to pay it forward by offering the gift of life. That selfless decision unleashed a cascade of goodness worldwide.

Diane Schmitz 630/758-2741 dschmitz@giftofhope.org

Cover Photo: Just weeks from graduating from Illinois State University, Michael Collins was killed in April 2014 when a drunk driver slammed into his car. A registered donor, Michael gave life to four people as an organ donor, and he will impact many other lives as a tissue donor. His decision to pay it forward by offering the gift of life sparked an international wildfire of good acts.

A Donate Life Organization Connections provides the Gift of Hope public and professional communities with news and information about Gift of Hope, organ and tissue donation and the importance of being a registered organ and tissue donor. We encourage you to share this newsletter with your friends and associates and learn more about donation by visiting GiftofHope.org.

Copyright © 2014.

All Rights Reserved.

National Donate Life Month

a Tremendous Success National Donate Life Month 2014 is in the books. Throughout April, we united with our Donate Life Illinois partners, hospitals, schools, businesses and communities throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana to educate the public about organ and tissue donation and encourage people to register as donors. We also recognized donors, their families, transplant recipients and the healthcare professionals who help provide the gift of life through donation and transplantation. All in all, Gift of Hope conducted more than 130 community outreach programs during the month to raise public awareness about organ and tissue donation, and more than 5,700 people registered as donors as a result.

Connections - National Donate Life Month

3

Hospitals Embrace Donation, Deepen Registration Pool Gift of Hope partnered with 42 Illinois and northwest Indiana hospitals during National Donate Life Month (NDLM) in April as part of its ongoing Hospitals for Hope campaign, which aims to build brand awareness of Gift of Hope and deepen the donor registration pool by encouraging hospital staff and community members to register as lifesaving organ and tissue donors. The NDLM-focused campaign prompted more than 4,400 Illinois and Indiana residents to say “yes” to donation by registering or reaffirming their decisions to be organ and tissue donors.

Minority Donor Awareness Month in August and National Donor Sabbath in November. “We encourage all hospitals in Gift of Hope’s service area to take part in this simple, turnkey campaign,” Muller said. “Gift of Hope covers all costs associated with the campaign. We simply ask our partnering hospitals to embrace this noble cause to offer hope and life to others through donation.”

The April campaign was the second edition of Gift of Hope’s NDLM-focused Hospitals for Hope campaign. In April 2013, about 3,900 hospital professionals and community members registered or reaffirmed their donation decisions during the campaign held that month. That means more than 8,300 people have visited the Hospitals for Hope website to designate their decisions to be lifesaving donors as a result of the two, month-long campaigns. Moreover, thousands of people viewed posters, flyers and other donation education and promotional materials displayed at hospitals participating in the campaigns.

Advocates Promote Donation, Celebrate Life on National Blue & Green Day

“Hospitals for Hope is an incredibly effective campaign that reaches two key Gift of Hope constituencies — hospital professionals and the community residents they serve,” said Josh Muller, Communications Manager at Gift of Hope. “By reaching out to hospitals, we can reach thousands of staff members and community residents with our message about the importance of being a registered organ and tissue donor.”

The Hospitals for Hope campaign will continue throughout 2014 with focused campaigns held in conjunction with National

Learn More About Hospitals for Hope Visit HospitalsForHope.org to learn more about Gift of Hope’s Hospitals for Hope campaign. To participate, call Josh Muller, Gift of Hope Communications Manager, at 630/758-2743, e-mail him at jmuller@giftofhope.org or contact your Gift of Hope Hospital Development Coordinator.

4

Connections - Hospitals for Hope

Gift of Hope joined Advocates for Hope volunteers and other donation advocates throughout its service area to call attention to the importance of organ and tissue donation on April 11, designated as National Blue & Green Day during National Donate Life Month. On this day, Gift of Hope and other donation supporters encouraged the public to wear blue and green, hold special events and partner with local media and community organizations to raise awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation.

Among the many events held to celebrate the day, Gift of Hope staff members and volunteers visited the organization’s top 10 referring hospitals to offer a symbolic “thank you” to all hospitals in its service area for the work they do to make donation happen. Teams of Gift of Hope staff and volunteers delivered gift baskets and offered their gratitude to hospital clinical teams.

“Our ideal would have been to make personal visits to all 180 hospitals we work with to honor people’s desires to be donors, but that’s logistically impossible,” said Gift of Hope President/ CEO Kevin Cmunt, who was among the group of Gift of Hope representatives visiting hospitals. “Although we could physically visit just 10 hospitals, our actions on that day extended symbolically to all hospitals we work with. We took time to thank hospitals on this one day — National Blue & Green Day — but our thanks go out to them every day for helping to save and enhance lives through donation.”

Gift of Hope Recognized for Community Outreach Efforts Donate Life America (DLA) and the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC) recently recognized Gift of Hope for excellence in the organization’s efforts to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation and move people to register as donors. Gift of Hope’s Hospitals for Hope campaign received a Pinnacle Award from DLA and a Golden Trumpet Award from PCC, its community newsletter, Connections, received a Golden Trumpet Award from PCC, and its Heroes and Heroines and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration campaigns each earned a Silver Trumpet Award from PCC. DLA’s Pinnacle Award recognizes outstanding achievement in efforts to increase donor registrations and create a culture that embraces donation. PCC’s Golden and Silver Trumpet awards honor achievements in public relations and communications programs produced by Midwest-based organizations.

“We are honored to be recognized for our outreach efforts from two noteworthy organizations like DLA and PCC,” said Dave Bosch, Director of Communications & Legislative Affairs for Gift of Hope.

“The Pinnacle Award indicates that our peers in the donation community believe we are doing things right in our efforts to educate the public about donation and to deepen the donor registration pool in our service area. The PCC awards indicate we are moving the needle and achieving our desired results in the view of our public relations peers. Winning a Golden or Silver Trumpet is the height of recognition in the Chicago public relations community.”

The Pinnacle Award-winning Hospitals for Hope campaign seeks to inspire hospital staff members to register as lifesaving organ and tissue donors. “The campaign is a sustainable, long-term program that is tagged onto existing outreach opportunities during National Donate Life Month, National Minority Donor Awareness

Week and National Donor Sabbath,” explained Josh Muller, Manager of Communications and Hospitals for Hope campaign coordinator for Gift of Hope.

“The Pinnacle Award indicates that our peers in the donation community believe we are doing things right in our efforts to educate the public about donation.”

—Dave Bosch, Director of Communications, Gift of Hope The campaign tagged to National Donate Life Month in April prompted more than 4,400 Illinois and northwest Indiana hospital staff members and community residents to say “yes” to donation by registering or reaffirming their decisions to be organ and tissue donors.

Gift of Hope’s Connections community newsletter was launched in 2013 to serve as a flagship publication designed to strengthen the organization’s brand and image in its service area, according to Gift of Hope Marketing Communications Coordinator Tony Sullivan, who serves as the newsletter’s writer/editor.

“We determined that we needed a single communications vehicle that consistently conveys key organizational messages to our stakeholders in a high-quality, readerenticing format and positions Gift of Hope as the go-to organization for all things related to organ and tissue donation and donor registration,” he said.

“Connections gives our staff a powerful educational and relationship management tool that enhances their ability to estab-

Gift of Hope received Golden Trumpet Awards for its Connections community newsletter and Hospitals for Hope donor registration campaign from the Publicity Club of Chicago. In addition, two exceptional outreach programs in Hispanic communities were recognized with Silver Trumpet Awards. These Awards recognize organizations for public relations campaigns and materials that inspire communities and move the needle in achieving desired results. lish and maintain meaningful and productive professional relationships with critical care nurses and other key donor referral influences working at our 180 referring hospitals.”

Gift of Hope’s Heroes and Heroines and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration campaigns were conducted to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation among residents of Chicago-area Hispanic communities. “Many Hispanics are hesitant to become registered organ and tissue donors because they don’t fully understand it or have inaccurate information about it,” explained Raiza Mendoza, Gift of Hope’s Manager of Hispanic Affairs. “Many of these barriers stem from cultural and religious beliefs. Our Heroes and Heroines and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration campaigns aimed to break down those barriers.”

The Heroes and Heroines campaign positioned real-life heroes — firefighters, policemen and policewomen, health professionals and others — as champions of donation who shared their views about donation and encouraged others to embrace them during National Minority Donor Awareness Week last August.

The campaign produced an estimated 9.5 million impressions in Chicago-area Hispanic print, broadcast and online media, an impact valued at nearly $125,000 in advertising.

Connections - Outreach Awards

5

Campaign Urges People to Get Fit for Life Chicago-based Fitness Formula Clubs and Gift of Hope joined forces throughout National Donate Life Month in April to raise public awareness of organ and tissue donation and encourage FFC’s 23,000 members to register as organ and tissue donors.

The month-long Fit for Life campaign was conducted at FFC’s nine Chicago locations.

In late 2013, FFC named Gift of Hope as its charity partner for its 2014 Year of Wellness Contest, which provides the contest winner with a year’s worth of wide-ranging health and wellness services and products. The two organizations first came together when Quinetta Taylor, a young Chicago woman in need of a kidney transplant, won FFC’s 2013 Year of Wellness Contest.

Quinetta had to lose 120 pounds to be placed on the kidney transplant waiting list, and she achieved that goal through hard work and the expert guidance provided by an FFC personal trainer.

The organizations’ partnership prospered during National Donate Life Month as FFC and Gift of Hope teamed to promote donation among FFC’s members by holding special events and a series of donor registration drives at FFC’s fitness centers.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White delivered a powerful message about donation at the Fit for Life event held at Fitness Formula Clubs’ Union Station location. He was joined by (l-r) FFC Founder/ CEO Gale Landers, Quinetta Taylor and Gift of Hope President/CEO Kevin Cmunt. Quinetta, an FFC member, is currently waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant.

The premier event was held April 16 at FFC’s Union Station club in downtown Chicago. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White attended the event to deliver his powerful message about donation, and the Jesse White Tumblers entertained guests with their acrobatic prowess. Quinetta also delivered a moving message about her personal story of donation and transplantation. Gift of Hope and FFC plan to extend their partnership into 2015.

New Giving Committee Shows Charity Truly Begins at Home Gift of Hope’s newly formed Charitable Giving Committee has taken its first step by coordinating financial and manpower support for a special project that hit home for Gift of Hope staff in many ways. The Committee embraced a community support opportunity to help shore up the foundation of an Illinois family in need — both figuratively and literally — by raising funds and providing hands-on labor to complete an “extreme home makeover” project for Dave and Lauri Knispel, a Plano, Ill., family that lost their son, Jared, in a tragic accident in June 2013. Jared offered the gift of life as a donor.

When Jared died, the family was in the midst of a major home renovation project and had to put things on hold until their lives settled. That’s when a local charitable organization, Tommy’s Gift, learned of the Knispels’ situation and stepped in to help finish the project. Tom and Kim Zimmermann founded Tommy’s Gift after the death of their infant son, Tommy, in 2009. Tommy fought a noble battle to live during his brief, three-week life, and his perseverance and tenacity inspired the Zimmermanns to focus their lives on showing compassion and taking action to help local families in need of assistance with home maintenance and repairs.

6

Connections - Donation News

Gift of Hope’s Charitable Giving Committee embraced the opportunity to support Tommy’s Gift and its home renovation project for the Knispels by asking staff for financial and manpower donations to make the makeover a reality.

Ed Lesh, Director of Facilities at Gift of Hope, offered his construction expertise and donated time and labor to make the Knispel family’s extreme home makeover a reality. Through its Charitable Giving Committee, Gift of Hope donated more than $2,700 to support the project.

Nineteen Gift of Hope staff members stepped up to donate $1,380, and Gift of Hope matched that amount. The result was a $2,760 donation to support the project. Facilities Director Ed Lesh also offered his construction expertise and donated time and labor to get the job done. The home makeover “reveal” for the Knispels took place on Memorial Day.

Chicago Fashion Event Benefits Scholarships for Hope Campaign For a second consecutive year, Gift of Hope scored a big win among Chicago’s Latino community with its A Summer Filled with Hope Fashion Charity Event, which helped to raise funds for 24 Scholarships for Hope that will support Latino student education. More than 300 guests, including local Hispanic media, community organizations and local Chicago celebrities and personalities, attended the April 13 event to help strengthen the future of young Hispanic students.

“A Summer Filled with Hope provided the opportunity for Chicago’s Latino community to once again come together in support of Scholarships for Hope to show Hispanic students that they have the commitment and backing of their communities, which can pave the way and prepare them for a bright future,” said Raiza Mendoza, Manager of Hispanic Affairs for Gift of Hope, who coordinated the fundraising event.

Guest of honor Carolina Núñez, President of the Kassandra LIVES Foundation, reinforced Gift of Hope’s lifesaving mission in a message to guests attending the event. Carolina shared the poignant story of her 18-year-old daughter, Kassandra Castillo, who died in an automobile accident and saved the lives of three

Sponsors of the A Summer Filled with Hope event gather with Gift of Hope’s President/CEO Kevin Cmunt (third from left) and Raiza Mendoza, Manager of Hispanic Affairs (fourth from right), and other guests of honor at the April event, which raised money to fund 24 scholarships for Latino students seeking career-oriented education opportunities. people as an organ donor. “Her experience was touching testimony to the lifesaving miracles that are made possible through organ donation,” Mendoza said.

Gift of Hope, through its Community Affairs Department and African-American Task Force, plans to expand the Scholarships for Hope campaign to benefit Chicago’s African-American communities. Work is underway to produce several events designed to raise funds to support worthy African-American students in their quests for career-oriented learning opportunities.

Chicago Office Renovation Strengthens Commitment to City Gift of Hope has renovated its Chicago office to create a strong base of operations for staff, volunteers and visitors and underscore its commitment to the city’s African-American communities. “We have modernized the facility to make it a warm, welcome and functional place for us to perform our mission-oriented work,” said Jack Lynch, Director of Community Affairs for Gift of Hope. “The refurbished office has new décor and expanded meeting and work space for our staff and guests and will serve as a solid landing pad for members of our African-American Task Force (AATF) to plan and conduct their community outreach programs directed at Chicago’s African-American communities.”

Gift of Hope has had the office, located at 2600 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago’s Bronzeville community, for many years, using it primarily as a basic work space for Community Affairs staff to use in lieu of traveling to Gift of Hope’s main office in suburban Itasca, Ill. “While that function will continue, the Chicago office will now be an active operations hub that all Gift of Hope staff and

volunteers can use to perform their lifesaving work,” Lynch said.

Gift of Hope will hold an open house on June 25 to showcase its newly renovated office to staff and visitors. Its AATF also will kick off its Summer of Healthy Outcomes event that day. “The decision to be a donor is part of a holistic conversation every family should have when discussing family health histories and the healthcare directives of those they love,” Lynch said. “The AATF hopes to further the discussion of healthy outcomes over the summer with a special emphasis on the role organ donation plays as families gather for family reunions and picnics and talk about what it takes to be safe, healthy and whole.”

Connections - Donation News

7

A Young Man’s Decision to Donate Sparks An International Wildfire of Good Acts

???????/

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, whose office manages the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry, honored Michael Collins’ memory by presenting his family — parents Kelly and Jim and brother Jimmy — with personalized license plates with Michael’s initials at a special ceremony held at Illinois State University. Secretary White called Michael a hero for choosing to be a donor.

When something good happens to you and, in turn, you do something good for someone else — pay it forward — you start a cascade of good deeds. Michael Collins chose to pay it forward, but, in his case, an act of goodness wasn’t the catalyst. Instead, tragedy unleashed the cascade. But goodness was at its heart.

Just weeks from graduating from Illinois State University (ISU) with a degree in exercise science, Michael spent the evening of March 28, 2014, with friends at a spring social event near ISU’s Normal, Ill., campus. As he and three other passengers made their way home, a drunk driver ran a red light and struck their vehicle. Michael’s friends suffered severe but treatable injuries, but Michael suffered major head trauma that required emergency surgery. A second surgery was performed in the following days to relieve pressure on his swollen brain, but Michael succumbed to his injuries on April 2. He was just 22.

Unbeknownst to his parents, Jim and Kelly, Michael had registered to be an organ and tissue donor. “It’s something we never talked about,” said Jim. “He decided on his own that it was the right thing to do.”

To honor Michael’s wishes, Gift of Hope worked with the medical team at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Bloomington, Ill., to coordinate the recovery and placement of his gifts — his liver, pancreas and both kidneys — saving four lives. And many other lives may be helped through transplants made possible by his donated tissue.

Michael centered his short life on faith, family, friendship and baseball, a collection of characteristics and passions that combined to create a young man with the gift to be a natural leader and a proclivity to do what’s right and treat others in kind and generous ways. Hailey Lanier, who became friends with Michael at Normal West High School and grew closer to him as a fellow ISU student, knew that all too well. “He was a great guy,” Lanier said. “He was always smiling and always happy. He had a contagious personality that made everyone else happy.”

Moved by the loss of her close friend, Hailey launched a Facebook page, “Paying It Forward for Michael Collins,” as a way to honor her friend and encourage others to give back the way Michael had given as an organ and tissue donor. “I thought it would apply well to this situation, especially since Michael was able to pay it forward by being an organ donor,” she said.

“In a time of loss, everyone feels helpless, as if there is nothing they can do. This is a way to help people grieve by giving them something positive to focus their energy on.”

Hailey intended the social media site to be a tool that close family and friends could use to help cope with Michael’s death, but it quickly grew into something much bigger. As ISU

students and residents in the local Bloomington-Normal community learned of Michael’s story through Hailey’s Facebook page, Twitter postings with the hashtag “#MCStrong” and local print and television coverage, they began to “pay it forward,” as Michael did, with small, random acts of kindness.

While people couldn’t match the supreme act of kindness that Michael performed, they began paying it forward through simple actions taken in his honor. Some people paid for the

While people couldn’t match the supreme act of kindness that Michael performed, they began paying it forward through simple actions taken in his honor. people behind them in drive-through lanes at restaurants and coffee shops. Others left extra-large tips for unsuspecting wait staff. Still others mowed the lawns of ill or disabled neighbors, performed home renovation jobs at no cost and picked up food tabs anonymously for unsuspecting diners. All acts of kindness were tagged with notes that included #MCStrong, which became the rallying cry for the movement.

The hashtag led new individuals to investigate Michael’s story online, and, as people shared their good deeds on the Paying It Forward Facebook page, the movement went national and then global. Bloomington resident Kim Havens has been tracking the Facebook and Twitter posts citing good deeds in Michael’s memory, and she reports that #MCStrong has appeared in 47 states and at least 15 countries, including Australia, China, Jamaica, Mexico and South Africa.

The Facebook page currently has more than 20,000 followers, far beyond Hailey’s expectations. And many postings have touched her deeply. “Michael loved animals and had several dogs,” she said. “There have been a few stories posted of people paying for animal adoption fees. One woman fostered two dogs and named one Michael and the other Collins.”

That would have made Michael smile, Hailey said. “It makes me feel good to see Michael’s story and legacy spreading. He loved being the center of attention, and I know he would be Connections - Paying It Forward

9

Jim and Kelly Collins look on as Heartland Community College honors their son Michael by retiring his #19 baseball jersey on May 4. Michael helped to lead his team to a third-place finish in the 2012 National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Baseball World Series. Tournament organizers have renamed the Coaches Champion Trophy, presented to the winning team’s coaching staff, to honor Michael’s memory.

so thrilled to see people doing kind acts in his name. Reading all of the posts and seeing how this has affected people and really caused them to rethink how they are living their lives is amazing.

So many people have decided to become organ donors or vowed to never drink and drive because of this. I never could have expected it would have the effect that it did.”

Jim Collins learned that someone from New Jersey sent money to his local youth baseball association to pay for a young boy to go to baseball camp who wouldn’t have been able to go otherwise. The stories about kids and baseball have strongly resonated with him because of his son’s love for the game and the fact that he and his son were a baseball coaching team at Normal’s University High School, Jim as head coach and Michael as his assistant.

Michael had a successful high school and junior college baseball career before joining his father’s coaching staff. As a member of the Heartland Community College team, he helped lead his team to a third-place finish in the 2012 National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Baseball World Series in Enid, Okla., the annual site of the event, and impressed his competitors with his athletic prowess and passion for the game in the process.

When World Series organizers learned of Michael’s death, they renamed the Coaches Champion Trophy, presented to the coaching staff of the championship team at the end of the competition, to honor Michael’s memory.

He also has been honored and recognized in other ways. The Heartland Hawks retired Michael’s #19 jersey on May 4. And Sports Illustrated published a story on Michael and the Paying It Forward movement his death and decision to donate have sparked. Suitably, it appeared in the May 19 issue.

10

Connections - Paying It Forward

The Paying It Forward movement also attracted the attention of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, whose office manages the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry. In May, Secretary White honored Michael’s memory by giving his parents personalized license plates with Michael’s initials, MEC, at a special ceremony at ISU. Secretary White called Michael a hero for deciding to become a donor. “As a result of Michael’s giving and caring spirit, his memory will live on through the individuals he saved through organ and tissue donation,” he said.

At this event, ISU President Larry Dietz gave Jim and Kelly the diploma that Michael would have received at graduation. Larry remembered Michael as “a bright and witty friend by those who knew him.” He added that Michael’s wish to be an organ donor “serves as a reminder that even in the midst of grief, life continues. We can all take a lesson from his selflessness and learn more about organ donation.”

On the social media sites created to tell Michael’s story and honor his life, #MCStrong supporters credit Michael with being the first to pay it forward by deciding to become an organ and tissue donor. They and the Collins family hope others will do the same, as does Hailey Lanier. “I feel it is very important to consider being an organ donor,” she said. “Michael’s decision to be a donor really helped his family and friends with the grieving process. Although we knew that he was gone, he was leaving behind something that would help people who were truly in need, and that was an amazing gift.”

The Collins family has established MCStrong: The Michael Collins Foundation to help keep Michael’s memory alive and encourage others to live like he did. Visit MCstrong.org for more information on Michael, the foundation and how you, too, can pay it forward.

Paying It Forward Page Triggers Worldwide Buzz Moved by the loss of her friend and Illinois State University schoolmate Michael Collins, Hailey Lanier started a Facebook page, Paying It Forward for Michael Collins, as a way to encourage others to give back the way Michael had given as an organ and tissue donor. Originally meant as a local tribute, the social media site quickly took on a life of its own and generated postings from around the world.

Here is a sampling of postings from the site: • I ’ve been wanting to pay it forward in honor of Michael Collins, but have been waiting until it felt like the right moment. I finally had that moment today. My son and I went to his doctor appointment, and as we were visiting with the doctor she mentioned to me that she is trying to find funding for some of her pediatric patients who do not have the money to pay for their therapy supplies. I asked her how many of her patients are in that situation right now. She said there is only one child at this time, but she never knows when she’ll have others. It was clear that this was our moment to pay it forward.

I told her we would pay for his supplies. After the appointment my son said to me, “I haven’t seen you cry in a long time.” I told him those were tears of sadness for this boy’s situation and tears of happiness that God put us where we needed to be today so we could help him.

Thank you, Michael Collins, for being an inspiration. And thank you to Michael’s parents for raising an inspiring young man.

• It had to be fate that I lost my ID for the first time in my life last night, given that ever since Michael saved the number of lives he had saved as a donor I decided I wanted to do that the next time I would be in need of a new ID. So as of 20 minutes ago I am now a registered organ donor. Fully inspired by my fellow exercise science student and friend these past two years, Michael Collins.

• P aying it forward in Newport, Rhode Island. Leaving money at the toll booth for the next three cars behind us.

• P aid it forward in McKinney, Texas, by paying for a disabled man’s lunch. Sure feels good!

• I completed #10 of my pledge to do 19 acts of paying it forward for Michael. (His baseball uniform number was 19.) Mowed my neighbor’s yard because he has been battling pancreatic problems.

• #MCStrong has arrived at Ramses Temple, Egypt.

• W ent to Cub Foods to grab a couple things. Gentleman with a cane standing by the parking lot entrance with a sign. No money to give him. Continued home with him on my mind. As I made my son a sandwich, I made a second one and packed up a lunch. Went back and gave it to the man, along with a bag of snacks and toiletries I put together. God bless you, Michael, for reminding me every single day.

• I got up this morning, grabbed a pair of work gloves to pull an enormous amount of weeds from my front flower beds so I could lay mulch. I opened my front door to find it had already been done with a #MCStrong note.

Thank you!

• P aid for a few cars behind me at McDonald’s this morning. They didn’t look happy while they waited for me to leave the window, but I loved the smiles as they were told their meals were paid for!

• A beautiful day to pay it forward by volunteering at the Gift of Hope organ donor (registration) table in Michael’s honor at heartwarming Miracle League baseball games today.

• I n honor of Michael’s birthday, I paid it forward to the family with giggly little girls behind me at Carl’s Ice Cream.

• I just read the Michael Collins story in my Sports Illustrated. I live in Ontario, Canada, and this story has really touched, not only my heart, but my family members’ hearts as well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Collins family and to Michael’s friends as well.

I just wanted to let you know that my family and I will be paying it forward for Michael Collins.

• I am in Dublin, Ireland, leading a group of ISU students on study abroad. I have been thinking about a pay it forward to honor Michael in Dublin, especially since I am with students. Today happens to be my wedding anniversary, so I was going to do it today as way to celebrate my 19-year marriage. When I saw that it was also Michael’s birthday today, I knew I had to do it. As I was quietly eating a celebratory dinner by myself, an American couple came in next to me and asked to split the single diner’s special. I decided to pay their bill. As I was explaining to the waitress what this was all about, I was suddenly overcome with such emotion that I had to leave quickly.

Connections - Paying It Forward

11

HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE METRICS* Gift of Hope works in partnership with 180 hospitals and nine transplant centers to meet the ever-growing demand for donor organs and fulfill the organization’s vision — that every opportunity for organ and tissue donation is successful. Here’s a look at key donation performance metrics for Illinois and northwest Indiana hospitals and the contributions these hospitals are making to give hope and life to others.

Hospital

Organ Donors

Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital Adventist GlenOaks Hospital Adventist Hinsdale Hospital Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Advocate Christ Medical Center Advocate Condell Medical Center Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Advocate Sherman Hospital Advocate South Suburban Hospital Advocate Trinity Hospital Alexian Brothers Medical Center Blessing Hospital Carle Foundation Hospital Centegra Hospital: McHenry Centegra Hospital: Woodstock Central DuPage Hospital Community Hospital of Munster Copley Memorial Hospital Decatur Memorial Hospital Delnor Hospital Edward Hospital Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Evanston Hospital Franciscan St. Anthony Health Franciscan St. James: Chicago Heights Franciscan St. James: Olympia Fields Franciscan St. Margaret Health: Dyer Franciscan St. Margaret Health: Hammond Freeport Memorial Hospital Galesburg Cottage Hospital Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus Glenbrook Hospital Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Highland Park Hospital Hines VA Hospital Holy Cross Hospital

0 0 0 1 1 7 0 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1

Donation Conversion Rate NA NA NA 100 33 75 67 50 0 67 50 33 100 100 NA 100 62 50 NA 50 100 100 0 0 33 0 33 NA NA NA NA 50 NA NA NA 50 100 NA NA 100

Donation Authorization Rate NA NA NA 100 0 80 67 67 0 50 67 100 100 100 NA 100 75 100 NA 50 100 100 NA NA 50 0 0 NA NA NA NA 100 NA NA NA 0 100 NA NA 100

*Through 4/30/14. Note: Data subject to change due to Gift of Hope’s quality assurance process.

12

Connections - Hospital Performance Metrics

Timely Notification Rate NA NA NA 100 100 100 100 100 50 100 71 100 100 100 NA 100 100 100 NA 83 50 100 NA NA 50 100 100 NA NA NA NA 66 NA NA NA 100 100 NA NA 100

Hospital

Organ Donors

Ingalls Hospital Kindred Hospital Chicago: Central Kindred Hospital Chicago: North Kindred Hospital: Sycamore Kishwaukee Community Hospital Little Company of Mary Hospital Loretto Hospital Loyola University Medical Center Lurie Children’s Hospital MacNeal Memorial Hospital Memorial Medical Center Mercy Hospital and Medical Center Methodist Hospital: Northlake Methodist Hospital: Southlake Metro South Medical Center Morris Hospital Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center Northwest Community Healthcare Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Northwestern Memorial Hospital Norwegian American Hospital OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center OSF Saint Francis Medical Center OSF St. Joseph Medical Center OSF St. Mary Medical Center Palos Community Hospital Passavant Memorial Area Hospital Pekin Memorial Hospital Presence Covenant Medical Center Presence Holy Family Presence Mercy Medical Center Presence Our Lady of the Resurrection Presence Resurrection Medical Center Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Presence St. Francis Hospital Presence St. Joseph Hospital: Chicago Presence St. Joseph Hospital: Elgin Presence St. Joseph Medical Center Presence St. Mary’s Hospital: Kankakee Presence United Samaritans Medical Center Proctor Hospital Richland Memorial Hospital Riverside Medical Center Rockford Memorial Hospital Rush Oak Park Hospital Rush University Medical Center Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 4 0 2 2 0 0 2 3 0 4 0 1 0 8 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0

Donation Conversion Rate 50 NA NA NA NA NA NA 50 0 100 80 NA 100 75 NA NA 50 80 NA 100 NA 33 NA 67 50 NA 100 NA NA 50 NA NA 50 100 NA 0 100 0 100 NA NA NA NA NA 71 0 80 NA

Donation Authorization Rate 50 NA NA NA NA NA NA 56 0 100 80 NA 100 100 NA NA 60 67 NA 100 NA 50 NA 64 100 NA 100 NA NA 100 NA NA 50 100 NA 0 100 0 100 NA NA NA NA NA 80 NA 100 NA

Timely Notification Rate 100 NA NA NA NA NA NA 92 100 100 100 NA 100 66 NA NA 71 100 NA 80 NA 66 NA 94 100 NA 100 NA NA 100 NA NA 66 100 NA 100 100 100 100 NA NA NA NA NA 100 NA 100 NA

Connections - Hospital Performance Metrics

13

HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE METRICS

Hospital

Donation Conversion Rate

Organ Donors

Silver Cross Hospital 0 Skokie Hospital 0 South Shore Hospital 0 St. Alexius Medical Center 0 St. Anthony Hospital 0 St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital 0 St. Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center 0 St. Catherine Hospital 0 St. John’s Hospital 3 St. Mary Medical Center 0 St. Mary’s Hospital 0 Stroger Hospital of Cook County 1 Swedish Covenant Hospital 3 Taylorville Memorial Hospital 0 Thorek Hospital and Medical Center 0 Unity Point Health: Methodist Medical Center 1 Unity Point Health: Trinity 1 University of Chicago Medicine 6 University of Illinois Hospital 3 Vibra Hospital: Northwestern Indiana 0 Vibra Hospital: Springfield 0 Vista Medical Center: East 2 Weiss Memorial Hospital 0 West Suburban Medical Center 0 Westlake Community Hospital 0

100

33 NA NA NA NA NA NA 100 80 100 NA 25 100 NA NA 100 50 61 78 NA NA 100 NA 0 0 67%

Donation Authorization Rate 33 NA NA NA NA NA NA 100 100 100 NA 33 100 NA NA 100 100 67 75 NA NA 100 NA NA 0 72%

Timely Notification Rate 100 NA NA NA NA NA NA 100 100 100 NA 75 100 NA NA 100 66 90 90 NA NA 100 NA 50 100 89%

Glossary of Terms Organ Donors Donors from whom one or more organs were recovered for the purpose of transplantation. This includes both donation after brain death, or DBD, donors and donation after circulatory death, or DCD, donors.

Donation Authorization Rate The rate at which authorization for donation is obtained, expressed as a percentage.

14

Connections - Hospital Performance Metrics

Donation Conversion Rate The rate at which potential donors are converted to actual donors, expressed as a percentage.

Timely Notification Rate The rate at which hospitals contact Gift of Hope after a death or within one hour after an individual meets the criteria for imminent death and before the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, expressed as a percentage.

STATE OF DONATION

2014 *

2013 *

% Change

Organ Donors

127

127

0%

Organs Transplanted

375

347

8.1%

Organs Per Donor

2.95

2.73

8.1%

Tissue Donors

787

627

25.5%

Bone Donors **

560

403

39%

Heart Valves Recovered **

84

87

-3.44%

Skin Donors **

607

483

25.7%

5,428* in Illinois

122,866* in U.S.

1,570* in Indiana

*Through May 31 **Subset of Tissue Donors

The number of patients waiting for heart, liver, kidney, lung, pancreas or small bowel transplants as of May 31, 2014.

Illinois Organ & Tissue Donor Registry

5,524,228

* Based on data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

As of May 31, 2014

56% 300 18 Of adults (18 or older) in Illinois are registered as organ and tissue donors.

:10

Every 10 minutes, a new person is added to the national transplant waiting list.

In 2013, more than 300 people registered for transplants in Illinois died while waiting.

25

One donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 25 people.

An average of 18 people die each day while waiting for a transplant.

Make a Difference!

REGISTER TO BE AN ORGAN AND TISSUE DONOR

GiftofHope.org

Connections - State of Donation

15

Indicia here 425 Spring Lake Drive Itasca, IL 60143

Register to Be an Organ and Tissue Donor at GiftofHope.org

A Donate Life Organization

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Morgan D’Organ 2014 Summer Tour Morgan D’Organ, Gift of Hope’s personification of pinkness, has hit the road for his annual Summer Tour to promote organ and tissue donation and donor registration throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana. Among Morgan’s 2014 tour stops are the Naperville Ribfest, Fiesta Del Sol and the Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago and more than a dozen college and university campuses. You can learn more about where Morgan’s headed this summer by visiting GiftofHope.org or by following his journey on Gift of Hope’s Facebook page.

Calendar of Events August 1 – 7 National Minority Donor Awareness Week DonateLife.net August 30 Advocates for Hope Orientation Peoria, Ill. GiftofHope.org September 10 Advocates for Hope Creating Community Opportunities Webinar GiftofHope.org September 20 Donor Family Tribute Cantigny Park Wheaton, Ill. GiftofHope.org

October 1 Advocates for Hope Tissue Donation Process Workshop Itasca, Ill. GiftofHope.org October 4 Advocates for Hope Speechwriter’s Workshop Itasca, Ill. GiftofHope.org October 5 Advocates for Hope Speechwriter’s Workshop Central Illinois GiftofHope.org October 10 Lifesaving Partners Awards Event Hyatt Lodge at McDonald’s Campus Oak Brook, Ill. GiftofHope.org

October 11 Advocates for Hope Orientation Chicago GiftofHope.org October 23 Advocates for Hope Messaging Webinar GiftofHope.org November 6 Advocates for Hope Our Stories & How We Share Them Webinar GiftofHope.org November 8 Advocates for Hope Orientation Itasca, Ill. GiftofHope.org November 14 - 16 National Donor Sabbath GiftofHope.org