July 5 - 10, 2024
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
The Transplant Games of America gathers the entire donation and transplant community for the largest celebration of life.
Medaling events for recipients, living donors, and donor families.
Honor donors and celebrate recipients.
Watch competitions and visit sponsor and vendor booths
8,980
20
2,880 competitors (competitor event registrations) total attendees sports and competitions
10 venues (competitions and special events)
41 48 6
State, Regional and international Teams
States represented
Countries represented
Competitions help transplant recipients stay healthy, honor their donors, and embrace their second chance at life. For living donors, our competitions serve as an opportunity to engage within their community and a chance to train and compete alongside other remarkable donors.
5k Run
Badminton
Ballroom Dancing
Basketball
Bowling
DIVISION 1: Organ Recipients
DIVISION 2: Cornea and Tissue Recipients, Living Donors
Opening Ceremony @ Legacy Arena
Quarter Century Club Dinner @ Barber Sports Museum
Opportunities for Donor Families and Recipients to honor the donors
Donor Tribute
Quilt Pinning Ceremony
Coffee House
Re�lection Room
Quilt Display
Welcome Reception @ TGA Village in BJCC
Closing Ceremony @ TGA Village in BJCC
Workshops
Donor Families are presented with Donor Medallions (above) in honor of their loved ones.
Donor Quilts (right) are hung in the Reflection Room and all around the TGA Village.
Public Participation is welcome and encouraged! The Transplant Games of America travels across the country to help promote the mission of Donation and Transplantation across the entire United States.
5K Run/Walk
TGA Village and Expo
5k excitement!
What impacted you the most volunteering at this event
2,070 20+
number of volunteer hours
local organizations and sponsors providing volunteers for the event.
“The interaction and stories from all the donor families and recipients.”
“Sometimes when we think we are doing something to help others, we find we get more out of it than we give... I met amazing people, heard beautiful stories of sacrifice and amazing stories of receiving life! ...
Volunteering at the Transplant Games turned out to be a wonderful
“The impact of how organ donation can affect a person/family.”
Quotes from Volunteers at the 2024 Games in Birmingham, AL
• Raise awareness of the Transplant Games of America
• Promote the TGA Opening Ceremony
• Promote the TGA 5K Run/Walk
• Raise awareness of the importance of Donor Registration
• Promote Transplant Games of America volunteer registration
Featured segments on local news channels and a local radio station, interviews with transplant donors, recipients, competing athletes, and health professionals.
Opening Ceremony was broadcast live on the local Alabama PBS station
“Our goal is to get more equity involved with transplant as well,” Bill Ryan said.
“Birmingham being the birthplace of the civil rights movement seemed like a natural.” Birmingham Times article, July 5, 2024
Local Birmingham Exposure in 2024
Radio: 443,000+ per week in month leading up to the event.
Digital Billboards: 300,000+ per week
Community Calendars: 160,000
BIRMINGHAM COUNCIL MEETING:
Bill Ryan shared about the Games July 2, 2024
community events businesses reached through handouts and poster distribution
community events:
TGA Mascots, Spark and Blaze, at Sloss Furnace for the Birmingham Food Festival in October 2023. (above)
TGA Team Managers worked a booth at the event. (below)
Local Church Annoucements, of those, 6 congregations of 3,000+
“I love these games. I love getting to thank our donor families and living donors. I love getting to meet so many amazing other recipients and learning their stories. And having this chance to compete actually motivates me to play these sports year-round and stay as healthy as possible. Thank you for offering these transplant games and allowing us to demonstrate that organ donation works, we can lead wonderful, beautiful, fulfilling lives for ourselves, our family and continue to contribute to our communities as well.”
-2024 Transplant Games Participant
More than people (men, women and children) are awaiting organ transplants in the United States.
ANYONE can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history.