New England Donor Services

New England Donor Services had many special and important events this year to continue the work of increasing awareness for organ and tissue donation and helping increase the number of registered donors in our region. Pictured here are just a few of our favorite events of 2024. Share in the comments what NEDS events were your favorite this year! 🔹 NEDS celebrated the 10th anniversary of our CT Blue & Green Walk/5k with more than 1,100 participants joining us to support the work of increasing awareness about organ and tissue donation and registering donors. NEDS also was back at Polar Park for the second year for the MA Blue & Green Walk/5K. 🔹On National Donor Day NEDS held a special early-access screening of Ordinary Angels at Cinemark in North Haven, CT. The film shines the spotlight on the importance of being an organ donor. 🔹During Donate Life Month NEDS was able to spread the #DonateLife message with support from local and state officials and the help of our amazing volunteers and staff who went out and advocated in the community! 🔹NEDS joined 3 ballparks in their Donate Life Night games! Staff and volunteers celebrated the life-saving gift of organ and tissue donation with Hartford Yard Goats Baseball fans at Dunkin Donuts Park, Worcester Red Sox fans at Polar Park, and Portland Sea Dogs fans at Hadlock Field! 🔹NEDS joined Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to recognize the NEDS Maine State-Wide High School Organ Donation Poster Contest winners! These six talented students were inspired to create art to encourage others to register as organ donors. 🔹Over 180 golfers participated in NEDS 1st Annual Golf Tournament at Juniper Hill Golf Course! 🔹NEDS worked with MA DPH and MA RMV to promote organ donation with a billboard in Revere! 🔹29 runners ran for Team NEDS in the 52nd Falmouth Road Race! 🔹NEDS was also happy to be featured in 436 news stories in 2024 and 216 news stories featuring donor families and transplant recipients were shared this year.

Catholic Memorial High School’s New Year’s Eve varsity hockey game was dedicated to their student manager, Jack, who received a heart transplant. The Catholic Memorial Knights shared on Instagram: "Earlier this year, team manager Jack Aalto '27 underwent a heart transplant surgery that has kept him away from CM and the team. Following a successful recovery, he resumed his managerial duties in early December and will return to school this Monday! Before the game, Jack was joined by his fellow managers, Santi Lozano-Calderon '25 and Sean Davock '25 for the ceremonial puck drop. Jack's heart transplant was made possible by New England Donor Services (NEDS). All t-shirt sales and ticket proceeds from the game were donated to the non-profit organization." NEDS Board Member Mary Gallagher joined NEDS volunteers Johannah Haney and Theresa Sullivan to host a NEDS table at the game to share information about donation with attendees.

New England Donor Services is dedicated to giving back to the communities we serve. It is a small way to show our gratitude for their tremendous generosity. This year NEDS staff participated in 17 community events and contributed 500+ volunteer hours. Some of the memorable events of the year included: 🔹Build-A-Wheelchair Event - NEDS staff built team spirit while building wheelchairs to donate to the Disabled American Veterans - DAV Department of Massachusetts for use by veterans in need. The wheelchairs were constructed, tested, and decorated by staff and donated to the DAV who sent a representative to gratefully accept. 🔹Homes For Our Troops - On Saturday, October 26, NEDS staff, along with 200+ volunteers, gathered in Holden, MA to create a garden sanctuary around the specially adapted home of Marine Sergeant Brady and his family. Homes for Our Troops is an organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. 🔹Birthday in a Box for HEALTHY WALTHAM - NEDS staff distributed 60 Build-a-Birthday kits at Healthy Waltham that NEDS staff had put together. This meaningful project provides families with everything they need to throw a birthday party for their child and all the kits were gone in 30 minutes! 🔹Gaining Ground - This fall and spring NEDS staff volunteered at Gaining Ground in Concord, MA. Gaining Ground is a nonprofit organic farm growing produce for food pantries, meal programs, and shelters in Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. 🔹NEDS’ 4th annual national symposium on Equity in Transplantation: The Role of Community Health to the Pathway of Transplantation. The symposium addressed #equity in transplantation and featured an extraordinary panel that presented on effective initiatives to eliminate transplant disparities.

NEDS volunteer Billy Partain talked to WPRI12 last week at a donation awareness event with NEDS and RI DMV about his late husband Joe who donated his heart, liver, and kidneys when he unexpectedly passed in 2018. “It’s the most selfless act and a beautiful gift to give." Watch the story below. WPRI-TV

Today New England Donor Services joined Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, State Representative Natalie Higgins, MA RMV, Public Health Nurse Stacy Ciccolini, and local officials at Leominster City Hall for a holiday event to honor the Gift of Organ Donation. Christina Aguirre, a Leominster native and volunteer with NEDS joined to celebrate the second anniversary of her successful liver transplant which she received on Christmas in 2022. Holly Catarius also spoke at the event about her mother who gave the Gift of Life to others after her passing in May 2024. Dan Kirouac, a Westminster resident and musician also spoke about his life-saving kidney transplant due to the generosity of a living donor. Thank you to the City of Leominster and Mayor Dean Mazzarella for your continued support of NEDS’ donation mission. Matthew Boger

We want to thank all of our student volunteers and SODA: Student Organ Donation Advocates chapters who set up activities at their schools to promote donation this year! #SODANational Some of the amazing activities students were involved in this year included: 🔹Great support for donation from the Wheaton College Massachusetts Women’s Basketball Team!! A member of the team - Abby Fernandes is an amazing advocate for donation as both of her parents are transplant recipients. 🔹SODA Northeastern University students joined NEDS at the Massachusetts State House for the start of Donate Life Month. 🔹SODA Northeastern and SODA Boston College collaborated at the Colleges of the Fenway annual Block Party event. The two SODA Chapters joined together to have a table at the Block Party to share information about donation with fellow students! 🔹NEDS joined the SODA Northeastern University Chapter at their fall Blood Drive and organ donation registration event. 🔹Students also joined us at our annual CT and MA Blue & Green Walks where they helped welcome families, walkers, and runners and helped us along the route. We are excited to continue our collaboration with SODA chapters and student groups in 2025!

Today New England Donor Services joined the Rhode Island DMV, state and local officials, and local organ recipients and donor families at the DMV Headquarters in Cranston to honor the incredible gift of life as we celebrate the holiday season. Billy Partain, a Pawtucket resident, shared the powerful story of his late husband Joe who saved three lives through organ donation when he passed away suddenly in January 2018. Lynette Simnett, who received a lifesaving liver transplant also shared her story during the event. Thank you to the Rhode Island DMV for their incredible work saving lives through donation and transplantation. Matthew Boger

Thank you to our amazing volunteers who find opportunities in their communities to promote donation. We appreciate you and recognize each of your voices and efforts as critical to our mission to help save and heal more lives. We were AMAZED by some of the creative ways that volunteers promoted donation and NEDS’ mission in their communities in 2024. Pictured here are just some of those innovative ideas including: 🔹 Liz Sandeman has brought the flag and message about donation around the world! In 2024 she brought it to Mt Everest! 🔹 Susan Flint hosting her annual Lucas Flint Memorial Foundation raffle. Last year Susan was able to meet her son Lucas’ heart recipient Teddy at this event! She also maintains a memorial area at her local park for Lucas throughout the year. 🔹The Sokol Family, whose grandson is waiting for a heart transplant, hosted a table at their local Farmers Market in July. 🔹 The Auerbach Family, whose daughter/sister Marisa received a heart transplant and was able to live 10 more years before passing away, host the Annual March for Marisa honoring both Marisa and her donor, Cynthia Lucero. 🔹 Francis Gilroy celebrated his 44th kidney transplant anniversary at a Red Sox game in June! 🔹Liz Sandeman had a table at the Lions State Convention and was joined by fellow Lion and donor family member Jim Foster in April. 🔹Susan Graham and Kate Dimascolo made a Donate Life float and marched in the Cape Cod St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 🔹 Sabine organizes a bunch of activities in her community throughout the year in honor of her dad who is a double lung and kidney recipient. This year she held Bumpers & Books at the Groton Public Library where she decorated her dad’s van to look like a hospital room to represent the book “Little Panda and Her Super Heart”. 🔹The Peterson Family hosted Tap’s Ride which is an annual motorcycle ride in honor of their husband/dad. #DonateLife #VolunteerAppreciation #ThankYou #2024Recap

New England Donor Services would like to congratulate NEDS volunteer Alex Davison who graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences recently. Alex shared “All my NEDS friends and the transplant community helped me through these last 16 months. I couldn’t have done it without support from you, the other volunteers, and many other great people I’ve met through NEDS networking. I’m excited to join the nursing community that helped my brother so much, and I hope to be the kind of nurse that he was lucky enough to have. Hopefully, someday, I’ll be an actual transplant nurse!” Thank you Alex for being a dedicated NEDS volunteer. We wish you luck in your future endeavors! #DonateLife

Patricia Hart is an Organ Clinical Coordinator (OCC) who has been with New England Donor Services for 2 years. Patricia has always had a special interest in organ donation and how many lives donation can save. So when she saw a LinkedIn post for a position at NEDS she decided to apply and soon relocated to New England from Pennsylvania! “I feel accomplished when we successfully place organs from complex donors. I also enjoy dispelling misconceptions and working against stigmas around organ donation. I value the education I have gained and enjoy educating others.” Patricia stated that she, “works with an incredible team, with lots of support, creating a great workplace in a sensitive field”. Thank you for all that you do for the Operations Team and NEDS Patricia!