What an incredible day for our transplant community! The 7th Annual Donor Dash, held October 17 at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, was our largest yet, welcoming a record 474 registered participants, including 26 virtual participants from as far away as Philadelphia and Washington.
Transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, caregivers, and supporters came together to celebrate the gift of life, honor organ and tissue donors, and raise awareness about the lifesaving impact of transplantation. Whether running, walking or cheering from the sidelines, everyone came together to celebrate the gift of life and support Arizona’s transplant community.
Every year, we hear new stories from recipients, donor families, and others whose lives have been touched by donation. These stories remind us why this event is so important and why we continue to bring our community together year after year.
In addition to the races, participants and families enjoyed our Vendor Village, Kid Zone, and silent auction. Along the racecourse, honorary signs recognized transplant recipients and honored the generous donors who made their second chances possible.
With community rallied and raised more than $65,000. Proceeds from the event help Transplant Community Alliance continue providing support to transplant recipients, caregivers, and their families throughout Arizona.
Jenna’s Groupies once again claimed first place among fundraising teams, bringing in more than $11,000! The Ozier’s, led by Ed Ozier, came in second with over $3,000. Taking third place was Team Scozzaro, a new team this year, whose 18 members raised a little over $1,100. Team Scozzaro’s captain, Michael Scozzaro, has a special milestone coming up. Michael is a four-time kidney transplant recipient and will soon celebrate his 20th transplant anniversary with kidney number four!
This year’s top three individual fundraisers all came from Jenna’s Groupies. Kristine Rothstein once again took first place, raising over $4,000. Jim Cooper came in second with $2,500, followed by Daniel Eyde in third with $1,300. Congratulations to all our top fundraisers! We appreciate the time and effort everyone put into raising funds for TCA.
This year we welcomed a community blood drive with Vitalant. The drive resulted in seven successful blood donations, including two first-time donors. The seven units of blood collected have the potential to help 14 or more hospital patients. We’re happy Vitalant could be part of this year’s event and offer another way for our community to help save lives.
Donor Dash wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our sponsors. Donor Network of Arizona, our Presenting Sponsor, continues to be a valued partner and supporter of our transplant community. We were also fortunate to have the support of Banner University Medical Center Phoenix and Tucson, Mayo Clinic, Dignity Health, and DaVita Kidney Health, who joined us as a new sponsor this year. Our table sponsors included Liver Foundation and Semper Fi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. Tortoise & Hare Sports continued its tradition by providing $150 gift cards to our overall race winners and top fundraisers. We also appreciate the many vendors, community partners, volunteers and silent auction donors who contributed to the day’s success.
Looking back on this year’s Donor Dash, we’re grateful for the turnout, the funds raised, and most importantly, the opportunity to bring our transplant community together. It’s always wonderful to see familiar faces, meet new people, and hear the stories that remind us just how much organ donation can change lives.
