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COLBY FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER

FOUNDATION NEWS

OUR MISSION IN ACTION:  RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH THE COLBY CASSANI ENDOWED LECTURESHIP SERIES

“The gift of education that the Colby Foundation grants is immeasurable and most certainly has had an impact on the way I will approach medicine as a future physician”  It was Friday, February 13th, and Jonathan Von Koenig was inspired while he and an audience of 306 medical students attended LECOM Bradenton’s first Colby Cassani Endowed Lectureship Series.  On this date, LECOM became the second medical college in the nation endowed by The Colby Foundation to educate its students about organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

In keeping with the requirements of the endowment, LECOM’s students were introduced to several aspects of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.  Charles Wright, M.D., Medical Director, and Melissa Kelley, R.N., C.P.T.C., Vascular Coordinator,  LifeLink of Florida addressed the medical, scientific and research aspects of organ donation and transplantation.

In addition, students learned about the personal side of donation and transplantation when founder and trustee of the Colby Foundation, Starla Cassani, recounted her own family’s journey from grief to hope in sharing about the loss of their son, the hope they found through donating his organs, and their mission to raise awareness through the foundation.

The Colby Foundation thanks its generous contributors for making this newest endowment possible.

 

2009 COLBY CASSANI ENDOWED LECTURESHIP SERIES. 

Three Schools of Medicine Endowed by the Colby Foundation.

February 13:  Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton FL

March 12:  Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie PA

April 2 - 4:  Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa OK       

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

ANNUAL EVENTS RAISE AWARENESS REGARDING ORGAN DONATION

National Events

March is National Eye Donor Month reminding us that donation can restore sight and improve lives.

April is National Donate Life Month  Everyone is encouraged to consider becoming an organ and tissue donor--to give the gift of life. 

What can you do for National Donate Life Month?

 

PERSONAL NEWS 

IN HER OWN WORDS - LAURA’S STORY OF HER BROTHER TREY … A STORY OF HOPE

"My younger brother and only sibling, Trey, was in a serious car accident and after several days in the hospital he died from his injuries. It was Thanksgiving Day 2007.

I believe the timing of his death was significant. It forced us to approach even our darkest day with a spirit of gratitude. Trey and I both worked for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, and you can’t be around Sen. Alexander for very long without hearing him quote his friend Alex Haley who said, “Find the good and praise it.”For me, part of “the good” came when we learned that Trey would die the same way he lived, by loving and giving. Trey tried to live his life according to our Lord’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, and as a natural extension of his generous spirit he had chosen to be an organ and tissue donor.

Because of his loving choice five people were given new life: two single mothers in their 40s, a 56-year-old mother of two who had been married for 28 years, a 36-year-old gentleman who enjoyed fishing (one of Trey’s favorite pastimes), and a 62-year-old physician and father of four who had been on the transplant list for two years. 

Trey renewed his driver’s license on May 14, 2007, and marked “yes” to organ and tissue donation.  His girlfriend also remembers Trey saying, “I’ll be with the Big Guy. Give it all,” indicating his wish to donate everything.

Many people find talk of organ donation uncomfortable and perhaps morbid, and others believe organ donation is a good thing but put off doing something about it for another day. A survey conducted by the National Coalition on Donation found that 91 percent of respondents support donation, and yet 29 percent have taken no action to indicate their wishes via their driver’s license, living will, or by telling their family. That was me. I’m embarrassed to say I signed my driver’s license the day Trey died. I’m thankful that my responsible brother was not part of that 29 percent like I was.

Because of his decision to be an organ donor, Trey’s story became a resurrection story. Out of death and despair came new life, and our Thanksgiving became an Easter. Through our tears we rejoiced knowing five families had gotten a call on Thanksgiving Day with news that their loved one would be receiving a life-giving organ.

But the story does not end there.  On my mother’s birthday last March, 250 miles from the site of Trey’s hospitalization, she and my stepfather had the opportunity to meet the 62-year-old physician and keeper of one of Trey’s kidneys.  The gift – the good – had come full circle."
 
For more stories of hope - please click here

DIRECTOR'S NOTES:  SUPPORTING OUR MISSION

ANNUAL SUPPORT OF THE COLBY FOUNDATION:

Thank you to our many generous supporters!  Our annual Fall Fundraiser and Holiday Campaign has ended with your contributions bringing us over 30% of the way to our annual fundraising goal.  We are so grateful.  We were able to raise $5165. While we did not reach our goal, we are able to continue offering endowments based on your contributions.  You only need to read above to hear about the impact of your contributions.  We gratefully accept donations throughout the year to continue our education and endowment efforts.  As we look ahead to funding more lectureships, we acknowledge that it is you who make this possible!  For those of you who would like to contribute now, please click here.

A REMINDER ABOUT GOOD SEARCH:  SEARCHING THE NET SUPPORTS THE COLBY FOUNDATION...IT REALLY DOES!

To those of you who have already begun using GoodSearch as your search engine...we THANK YOU for your support!  For those who have not yet made the switch, we hope you will consider it because the Colby Foundation earns a penny every time you use GoodSearch to search the internet. 

How does that work?  GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations to the Colby Foundation add up!

To learn more, just use the GoodSearch icon (top right of this page) or go to www.goodsearch.com and please spread the word.  We appreciate it! 

THE COLBY FOUNDATION WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.  HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN TOUCHED BY ORGAN DONATION?  PLEASE CONTACT US!