Happy February and Happy Heart Month!

We have a had a great start to the 2010 New Year with events in January and many requests coming in for the next couple of months. Thank you to those that attended our strategic planning meeting on January 26. I personally feel that having your input and ideas for the next year is truly going to be beneficial to the success of our program in continuing to move forward. I am already looking into putting together the “recipient kits” and have had resources already come in for me to look over. I hope to have this program initiated by the summer months with one of the transplant centers in our area. Thank you all for your advice, ideas, and comments regarding existing projects and policies. Your input is valued and the only way we can make this program better is by listening to what you want to see happen.

A few announcements:

·        Fallon Hoffman, Vital Volunteer, and daughter of LifeGift Quality Assurance employee and Vital Volunteer, Tammy Haynes, is expecting and will be having a girl! Congratulations!!

·         Kaylen Hill, LifeGift staff and Vital Volunteer, has accepted a position teaching English in South Korea. Her last day at LifeGift is February 26^th and she will be off to Asia in March. Congratulations Kaylen and enjoy this exciting adventure.

·        LifeGift welcomes new Manager of Organ Recovery Services, Dawn Brim, to the LifeGift family.  

·        LifeGift Vital Volunteers have a new facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Houston/LIFEGIFT-Vital-Volunteers/307553542353?ref=nf  Join as a fan and start participating in discussions, add photos, links, information and of course look for updated events. This is a great way for the Vital Volunteers in all three of our regions to stay connected!

Upcoming Events

·        Saturday, February 6, 2010: Stafford Police Department Awareness Event

12pm-8pm

2200 Staffordshire Road, Stafford Texas

A donor family has put this event together and we will be working with them at this awareness event. There will be two shifts and I still need two volunteers for the last remaining shift.

*12pm-4pm: Mary and Marissa Arredondo

*4pm-8pm: need volunteer(s)

·        Wednesday, February 17, 2010: City of Rosenberg 19^th Annual Health Fair

10am-1pm

Rosenberg Civic Center/ 3828 Highway 36 South

I would like to have 1-2 volunteers at this event handing out the Donate Life Texas information and registering those interested in being organ and tissue donors.

·        Saturday, February 20^th, 2010: Vital Volunteer Boot Camp

9am-2:30pm

Annual re-training

RSVP: reservation@lifegift.org

713.523.4438

·        Sunday, February 21, 2010: Health Fair at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands

1-4pm

Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital

Denise Van Kuiken from Hospital Services has requested one to two volunteers to help her at this event with handing out registry information and registering those interested in being an organ and tissue donor on the Donate Life Texas registry.

·        Saturday, March 6, 2010: Westbury UMC Health Fair

9am-12pm

Corner of Willow Bend and Bellfort

I would like to have 1-2 volunteers at this event registering those interested in the Donate Life Texas Registry.

·        Wednesday, March 10, 2010: Clear Brook High School Health Fair

7:30am-2:30pm

Clear Brook High School/ 4607 FM 2531/Friendswood, TX 77546

For this health fair I would like to break the day up in shifts with 1-2 volunteers on each.

7:30-11am

11am-2:30pm

·        Thursday, April 15, 2010: TMC Donate Life Celebration

More information to follow

I will be sending out another email if I receive any more requests for this month. Don’t forget to RSVP for Boot Camp and get ready for some fun! Please let me know if anyone is available and would like to volunteer for any of the events mentioned above, especially the one for this coming Saturday. I look forward to seeing all of you on February 20^th!

Meredith J. Sharp

Community Education Coordinator

LifeGift

(713) 523.4438 work

(713) 737.8110 fax