The Future of TODF

Dear TODF supporters,

A little more than three years ago I founded the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. (TODF) with the help of several others. We had two goals: 1) improve awareness about the need for more organ and tissue donors in order to help more people receive life-saving organ transplants, and 2) help transplant recipients with post-transplant financial needs. I’m thrilled to say we have been able to do both.

During the last three years our accomplishments include:

• Our participation in nine events sharing with Tennesseans about the importance of organ and tissue donation. 
• The distribution of approximately 400 brochures at those events containing information about organ and tissue donation and how to register as a donor. 
• The registering of a few people as donors via the internet at our events. 
• Plus, we helped over a half dozen transplant recipients with various financial needs, such as their anti-rejection medications.

Our website, blog, and Facebook pages have been popular and been visited by hundreds of people. The website has provided a way for folks to make memorial contributions to TODF to honor and remember family and friends who gave the gift of life when they passed away. 

All of us at TODF feel blessed to have been a part of all this. However, due to a number of reasons, over the last year TODF’s leadership has been contemplating TODF’s future, and unfortunately, we have come to the conclusion it is time to cease operations. All of the paperwork necessary to officially close TODF is in process.

On behalf of the Board, Officers, and others, I want to sincerely thank all who have attended our events, made financial contributions, volunteered, and supported our endeavor the last three years. I want to encourage all of you to continue to be advocates for and support organ and tissue donation. I am alive today because of the miracle of a second chance at life it provides.

Sincerely,

Johnny Black,

Executive Director, Board Chair, and Founder

Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc.

Tennessean report on the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc.

Office of The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On March 19, 2012, The Tennessean newspaper, based in Nashville, TN, ran a wonderful article about us in its "Life" section. If you missed it, you can read it by clicking here. Being a new organization, the positive press is very beneficial to us.

We are very grateful to The Tennessean for the great exposure they have provided to us. Furthermore, we want to say a very special "Thank You" to Jen Todd, the writer of the article. We have already received a number of inquiries due to the article.

Thank you again.

Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. Now Open

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TENNESSEE ORGAN DONATION FOUNDATION, INC.

AIMS TO EDUCATE

New nonprofit hopes to increase number of registered donors in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mt. Juliet resident Johnny Black has formed the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc., a new nonprofit organization, whose mission is to educate Tennesseans about the importance of organ and tissue donation and to increase the number of registered donors.

“We want people to know that organ and tissue donation is not about death, but rather about life,” said Black, a heart recipient and Executive Director of the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. “Five years ago, I could have been a statistic – one of the 19 Americans who die each day waiting on a life-saving organ transplant. However, my life was saved because a man I had never met, named Kent, cared enough to register as an organ and tissue donor.”

Black, who lives in Mount Juliet, founded the organization in Nov. 2011 because he perceived a great need to improve public education and awareness about organ and tissue donation in his home state of Tennessee. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised solely of members of the transplant community, including an organ recipient (Black), a donor family member, Doris Gray, and a living donor, George Blank. The Board’s unique makeup ensures that the organization will always have the best interests of people in need of transplants as its number one priority. Each Board member is personally invested in the cause of organ and tissue donation because of his/her own experience with its life-saving and life-improving qualities.

The organization plans to hold various events in Davidson and surrounding counties and will distribute informational literature, answer questions about organ and tissue donation, and convince more Tennesseans to register as organ and tissue donors. In addition, the Foundation plans to hold speaking engagements in the area in order to share the personal stories of organ and tissue recipients and donors and their family members.

For more information about the Tennessee Organ Donation Foundation, Inc. and to learn how to register as an organ and tissue donor, please visit www.SaveLivesTN.org.

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