OneLegacy Kicks off Donate Life Month with Virtual Events, Flag Raising Ceremonies, City Proclamations and Meals of Gratitude Program

A Series of Local Activities that Include the 19^th Annual Donate Life Virtual Run/Walk Will Take Place in April to Promote the Importance of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OneLegacy is joining dozens of organizations, hospitals, transplant centers and cities around the U.S. to celebrate Donate Life Month during the month of April, with a mix of virtual and in-person activities that aim to share the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation with local hospitals, city councils and over 20 million people in Southern California. These activities will be held while observing the local guidelines and protocols that have been put in place during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, and for the second year in a row, OneLegacy will be hosting a Virtual Donate Life Run/Walk event, which will take place on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram on Saturday, April 24. Families around the country are invited to join the event from the comfort of their homes, or from their favorite local park, beach or hiking trail to participate in OneLegacy’s largest fundraising event of the year.

“The need for lifesaving and healing transplants never stopped during the pandemic, nor did the willingness of people to donate the gift of life, a gift we honor during Donate Life Month,” said Tom Mone, CEO of OneLegacy. “As COVID-19 local restrictions are changing with the surge and subsequent decline of the number of COVID-19 cases in Southern California, we want to keep everyone safe with a mix of virtual and in-person events at local hospitals, transplant centers, community partner organizations and with city officials. Our goal is to continue inspiring local communities to register as donors, while staying safe during the current pandemic. We are so grateful for the support we are receiving from our OneLegacy Ambassadors, donor families and local communities, who are joining us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to promote and celebrate Donate Life Month.”

This year’s Donate Life Month’s activities include:

1. Virtual Donate Life Run/Walk: Celebrating 19 years of inspiring local communities to Donate Life, the Donate Life Run/Walk is going virtual again on Saturday, April 24, with thousands of participants joining in from their homes or favorite outdoor locations and tuning to OneLegacy’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Participants can register until April 24 by visiting donateliferunwalk.org.
2. Meals of Gratitude: Continuing with a program that started last year to show appreciation and support to medical professionals during the current COVID-19 pandemic, OneLegacy’s Meals of Gratitude program delivered more than 1,000 hot meals to hospital staff in 2020, and is on track to deliver another 2,000 meals in 2021, along with hand sanitizers and care packages to support doctors, nurses and other medical professionals as they navigate crowded ICUs and COVID-19 cases during the current pandemic. In partnership with local restaurants, including Lee’s Sandwiches and Raising Cane’s, OneLegacy staff is delivering hot meals to hospital partners, as well as care packages with snacks and Donate Life branded items, including hand sanitizers.
3. City Proclamations: More than 100 city and county proclamations are being issued this month to declare April as Donate Life Month, thanks to the help of over 200 OneLegacy Ambassadors and Embajadores, who have reached out to their local elected officials to share their personal stories of donation and to invite them to issue these proclamations.
4. Flags Across America: In observance of Donate Life Month, OneLegacy is working with local organizations to fly the Donate Life flag during the month of April and join hundreds of organizations who will be participating in the Flags Across America initiative. The events start today with flag raising ceremonies at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Bakersfield Heart Hospital, and Dignity Health Hospitals in Bakersfield, and will continue in April at dozens of hospitals and cities within the seven counties OneLegacy serves.

OneLegacy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in seven counties in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern. It serves more than 200 hospitals, 10 transplant centers, a diverse population of nearly 20 million, donors and families across the region, and waiting recipients across the country. For more information, visit OneLegacy.org, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Donate Life Run/Walk information, registration and updates are available at DonateLifeRunWalk.org and through our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To register to become an organ, eye, or tissue donor, visit donateLIFEcalifornia.org/OneLegacy or doneVIDAcalifornia.org/OneLegacy.