Magna promotes Organ & Tissue Donation

Presstran Industries, St. Thomas, Ontario is one of the Magna Group of companies manufacturing auto parts. It was my pleasure to be part of a Trillium Gift of Life Network presentation that was heard by almost all of their 800 employees in a series of staggered meetings January 17th to accommodate various shifts. Shown are Sam Barraco, General Manager and Lisa Borg, Human Resources Manager, who are strong supporters of organ and tissue donation awareness.

Being an advocate for organ donation awareness has given me the opportunity to not only deliver the message but I've also met some great people and enjoyed new learning experiences that have enhanced my life. Yesterday my visit to Presstran turned out to be one such experience.

In previous articles I've written about how royally I'd been treated by the medical community. From the moment I arrived at Presstran I was greeted warmly and in a friendly manner by everyone that met me. I wrote some of their names down; Donna Wood, Char (didn't get the last name), Gina Alexandre, Hans Szlavik, Lisa Borg, Joanna Mudge and general manager Sam Barraco.

In addition to the friendliness of the staff, another thing that made a big impression on me was the company's emphasis on safety and cleanliness. I have never been in a manufacturing plant that was so absolutely clean. It's a huge, metal stamping and fabricating operation yet everything was clean, neat and tidy (including the employees!). Safety is number one at Presstran; no one is allowed in the plant area without safety glasses, safety shoes and ear plugs. This rule is rigidly enforced.

Our organ and tissue donation message was very well received. Brian Kellow, Trillum educator and Rizwana Ramzanali, kidney/pancreas transplant recipient, were the other Trillium Gift of Life Network participants.

Between sessions, General Manager Sam Barraco, Assistant General Manager Hans Szlavik and Human Resorces Manager Lisa Borg spent quite a long time chatting with me and showed a genuine interest in my transplant story as well as the importance of promoting organ and tissue donation awareness. Hats off to Presstran Industries. It's no wonder that Magna is such a successful auto parts manufacturer. They've got it right, in my opinion.

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