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Looking to get out into the community? Check out upcoming volunteer opportunities here.

Donate Life Day at the D-backs

Saturday, Aug. 10

2:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Chase Field

Campus Challenge: Taylorfest

Sunday, Aug. 18

7 - 9:30 p.m.

ASU Downtown Phoenix

Campus Challenge: Diablo's Club Zero

Sunday, Aug. 18

7 - 10 p.m.

ASU Tempe Campus

August Volunteer Meeting

Sunday, Aug. 25

12 - 1:30 p.m.

DNA Tucson Office and Online

Campus Challenge: Bash at the Rec

Sunday, Aug. 25

5:30 - 9:30 p.m.

University of Arizona Tucson Campus

Campus Challenge: Community Fair

Tuesday, Aug. 27

9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

NAU Flagstaff Campus

Campus Challenge: Community Fair

Thursday, Aug. 29

9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Ottawa University Surprise Campus

Campus Challenge: Clubs and Community Fair

Friday, Aug. 30

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

GCU Phoenix Campus

Hispanic Heritage at the Arizona Diamondbacks

Saturday, Aug. 31

2:30 - 6:10 p.m.

Chase Field

See the Opportunities Calendar for all upcoming events and to register to volunteer.

Want to be alerted every time a new event is added? Just click "Become a Fan"  for our programs Donate Life, Done Vida and Tucson!

Do you know of an event that would be perfect for a Donate Life Arizona registry table? Tell us about it at volunteers@dnaz.org!

Thank you to those who volunteered in June! These events wouldn't have been possible without you. We had over 67 registrations and reaffirmations last month directly from these registration tables!

Saving AZ Vitalant Blood Drive

Grace Tapia, Christina Ellegood and Patricia Metrick

D-backs T-shirt packing

Laura Gober, Marie Bernard Johnson, Grace Tapia, Mona and Kelly Calhoun

AZHCC Health Fair

Joan Klein, Betty Day, Irene Marra, Laura Gober and Aditya Tyagi

Hall of Fame Induction at the Diamondbacks

Grace Tapia, Matthew Owen, Melinda Hershkowtiz, Joan Klein and Teri Berg

Did you know that organ donation is not possible without blood donation? Volunteers Chrstina Ellegod, Grace Tapia and Patricia Metrick attended Vitalant's Saving AZ Blood Drive to let blood donors know that they can save even more lives by registering as an organ and tissue donor.

Volunteers Laura Gober, Betty Day, Aditya Tyagi, Irene Marra and Joan Klein registered donors and answered questions at the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Health Fair.

Join us in Tucson for our August volunteer meeting on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 12 p.m.! We will provide lunch to those joining in person. There is also a link for volunteers to join virtually. We'll talk about program updates, upcoming events, and hear from special guest speakers about how their work contributes to DNA's lifesaving mission. RSVP on Galaxy.

It's time for annual volunteer training! Please complete your training by the end of September. The training is online, self-lead and should take 30-45 minutes to complete. Make sure you complete the form at the end so that we know it's done! This training is a requirement of our volunteer program. It is also available in Spanish on request.

Click here to access the volunteer training!

Every fall, Arizona's universities hold events to welcome their students to the new school year. Donate Life Arizona wlecomes the students as well, and, of course, ask them to register as donors! Please be aware that most of these events are outdoors and are easily our busiest registration tables of the year. We are busy from start to finish and will talk to thousands of college students! If you're ready to register hundreds of people, we'd love to have your help! This event can be crazy, but lots of fun and it's great seeing so many young people join the registry. Volunteers will get a special Campus Challenge T-shirt. 

TaylorFest (ASU Downtown Phoenix): 7 - 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18

Diablo’s Club Zero (ASU Tempe): 7 - 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18

Bash at the REC (UA - Tucson): 6 – 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25

Community Fair (NAU): 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27

Clubs and Community Fair (GCU): 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30

We are still confirming tables at some of the smaller colleges in Arizona, so check on Galaxy for the most up-to-date tables. 

As Donate Life Arizona volunteers, you play a crucial role in our mission. We want to sincerely thank you for all that you do for us. Your continual dedication inspires community members and staff. We came together on Saturday, July 20 to celebrate the incredible work you've done as Donate Life Arizona volunteers. Many of our staff members expressed their personal gratitude for your efforts. DNA's partner relations specialist, Julia Young, was unable to attend in person, but recorded this video to thank volunteers for all that they do.

In 2023, volunteers attended 143 events. Collectively, you completed nearly 1,300 volunteer hours. That is equivalent to more than 54 days of volunteer work 24/7! 85 of those events were registration tables. These tables allow us to answer questions about donation, connect with groups of people who we might not reach at MVDs and, of course, register new donors. Those 85 tables directly resulted in over 1,900 registrations and reaffirmations. That is something to be incredibly proud of!  

A round of applause for our award winners!

Rookie Volunteers of the Year

Awarding new volunteers who dove headfirst into our program. 

• Ashley Mosono, donor wife
• Kelly Thrush, liver recipient

Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award

Veteran volunteers who have been passionate Donate Life Arizona volunteers for years, sometimes even decades!

• Mark Larson, 2x kidney recipient
• Mark Trautlein, liver recipient

Done Vida Estrella

Recognizing a star volunteer, or estrella as we say in Español, who has helped us connect with Spanish speaking communities.

• Aljandra Robles, donor mom and birth tissue donor.

Most Volunteer Hours 2023

These volunteers completed the most volunteer hours last year. 

• Sally Flatland, donor mom, completed 35 volunteer hours
• Grace Tapia, donor Tia, completed 72 hours

Swipe Superstar

The volunteer who obtained the most registrations and reaffirmations on Swipe to Donate Life last year. 

• Matthew Owen, kidney and liver recipient. 

Photos

If you joined us at the ceremony, you can find photos from the event and photobooth by clicking here. Please feel free to share these photos online! You could even add one as your Galaxy profile photo.

Join our August celebration as we honor National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM)! Together, we’ll champion lifesaving and life-healing acts across diverse communities by creating an inclusive culture around organ and tissue donation. 

NMDAM began as National Minority Donor Awareness Week. It started in 1996 under the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP). Its mission aimed to raise awareness about donation and transplantation in multicultural communities, focusing primarily on Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American, Asian and Pacific Islander populations. 

Throughout NMDAM, organ procurement organizations, hospitals and community partners share the stories of lifesaving and life-healing gifts of organ and tissue donation within multiethnic communities. They provide education on donation, host registration opportunities, and share inspiring stories of donation and transplantation. NMDAM plays a crucial role in spreading positive messages and encouraging multiethnic communities to consider registering as an organ and tissue donor.

Organ and tissue donation and transplantation in multicultural communities happens all year long and can be cross cultural. Transplants can be successful regardless of the ethnicity of the donor and recipient. However, the chance of longer-term survival may be greater if the donor and recipient are closely matched in terms of their shared genetic background for most organs. 

In 2023, organ and tissue donors saved the lives of 703 Arizonans. The selflessness of multiethnic donors shattered records in that same year. More Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Native American donors said yes to the gift of life resulting in over 46,000 lifesaving transplants. Currently, there are 1,683 people on the Arizona waiting list. Roughly 60% of that list come from a non-white ethnic background.  

We need your help! We're looking for assistance with the delivery of sweet treats to our Driver License Partners (DLPs), also known as Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Divisions (ADOT MVDs) and Authorized Third Parties (ATPs). These brownies help us show our appreciation for the lifesaving work that DLPs do every day by registering donors.

Complete this survey by Aug. 7 if you're available to help deliver!

The brownies must be picked up from Fairytale Brownies located at 4610 E. Cotton Center Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85040 any time between Monday, Aug. 12 through Friday, Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Brownies will have some cold packing included and must be promptly delivered to your selected DLP offices so they arrive fresh and undamaged from the heat. You will receive an email from Carolyn Hall, carolyn.hall@dnaz.org, confirming your DLPs. 

Currently, we are only coordinating Fairytale Brownies delivery within the valley. If you are leaving from the Phoenix area and going to another corner of the state during the delivery week and would like to deliver brownies on your way, please contact Carolyn Hall with your travel itinerary. 

Join us for a special event with the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday, Aug. 10! Watch the Diamondbacks face off against the Philadelphia Phillies in a rematch of the National League Championship Series while we honor donor heroes and their families. Thousands in attendance and viewers nationwide will witness Arizona celebrating the gift of life.

If you haven't already, purchase your tickets today at Dbacks.com/donatelife!

Over 3,000 athletes and hundreds of supporters arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Transplant Games of America last month. For 33 years and counting, the Transplant Life Foundation has brought a community of people touched by the gift of organ and tissue donation together. Transplant recipients, patients waiting for a transplant, caregivers, donor families, donation professionals, living donors and supporters joined to share life and stories.

The games include over 20 athletic and recreational competitions, ranging from a 5K race to Texas Hold’ Em poker, for transplant recipients and living donors to showcase their renewed health post-surgery, as well as special divisions for donor families to compete. There are also a variety of special events to celebrate donors, connect with others and further donation education through lectures and workshops.

“Whether your interest is the intense competition, the deep and meaningful tributes, or the educational programs, the Transplant Games has something for you,” Transplant Life Foundation shared on it’s website.

Cheering on Arizona

Team Arizona kicked off the week at the Parade of Athletes during the opening ceremony. With ages ranging from 12 – 78 years old, 22 athletes eagerly marched into the arena to make history during Arizona’s 12th appearance at the competition.

After competing in 65 competitions across 16 events, our team brought home 42 medals! Of the medals earned at this year’s games, Team Arizona brought home 25 Gold, 5 Silver and 12 Bronze medals!

The team competed in a range of athletic and recreational competitions, including:

Donate Life and Done Vida Arizona volunteers are invited to join us at the Phoenix Mercury game on Thursday, September 19 at 6 p.m. at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Volunteers will be provided with a ticket free of charge (while supplies last).

Please complete this interest form by Aug. 7 if you would like a ticket for the game.

Pease note:

• Tickets are not guaranteed and will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.
• Completing the interest form does not guarantee a ticket. You will be contacted in mid-August, after the form closes, with a confirmation of your ticket status. 
• In order to be eligible to receive a ticket, you must have attended at least one volunteer event in 2024 and completed your volunteer training, or do so before the game. 
• If you would like friends and family to accompany you to the game, there will be an option to purchase additional tickets in our section for them. 
• We will have a registration table in the Footprint Center during the game. We are looking for eight people to volunteer at the table. Four volunteer shifts will be during the first half of the game and the remaining four will be during the second half of the game. 

Donate Life Arizona | www.donatelifeaz.org

Register as an organ and tissue donor today!