An invitation to be part of the Living Green Ribbon April 26th

You are invited to take part in a Living Green Ribbon event this Wednesday, April 26th during National Organ and Tissue Donation awareness week.

The green ribbon is the internationally recognized symbol for organ and tissue donation. By using people to form the ribbon shape, we symbolize the life-giving and life-enhancing affects of organ and tissue donation. Each person who makes up the ribbon represents those on waiting lists across the province and country. It also symbolizes the donors and donor families who have given so generously to help others.

The Living Green Ribbon event was started by the Organ Donation Committee of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Eastern Ontario Branch. The first event was held on Parliament Hill in April, 2002 when hundreds of people assembled on the steps in front of the Peace Tower in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. For photos of Ottawa's past Living Green Ribbons go to Green Ribbon Photos

When the committee began the Living Green Ribbon, their greatest wish was that it could become a provincial, or even national event drawing attention each year to the tremendous need for organ and tissue donation. This year, with the support of the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), the Kidney Foundation of Canada branches and volunteers across the province and many others, the Living Green Ribbon will take place in the 10 Ontario coummunities listed below.

As a member of the Provincial Volunteer Committee for Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) I’m working with the local Kidney Foundation to recruit volunteers from the Waterloo Region to help form the Living Green Ribbon in Kitchener. (Other Ontario locations are listed below).

In Kitchener-Waterloo area we invite you to take part in the Living Green Ribbon taking place in the Civic Square at the Kitchener City Hall. The Living Green Ribbon will be made up of organ and tissue recipients, donors, donor families and other champions for organ and tissue donation. I and other guest speakers will be on hand to join the festivities and media is invited.

If you would like to take part in this exciting event, please show up at Civic Square, Kitchener City Hall Wednesday, April 26th at 10 a.m.. We will be giving green ponchos (yours to keep) to everyone attending for use in forming the ribbon.

The media have been informed we will have the ribbon in place by 10:30 a.m. so you will need to arrive no later than 10:00 a.m. for the ribbon to be formed in time for media photos to be taken.

All Living Green Ribbon locations in Ontario on April 26th
Following are the locations and contact information for the various events:

• Ottawa - Parliament Hill
  contact: Leanne McDougall, (819) 243-6218


• Toronto - MaRS Discovery Tower, 101 College Street
  contact: Trillium Gift of Life Network, Cailey Crawford (416) 363-4001


• London - Courtyard, London City Hall
  contact: Shelley Ralf (519) 685-1007


• Kingston - The Fountain, Confederation Basin
  contact: Tracey Bennett (613) 542-2121


• Thunder Bay - Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre
  contact: Sandra Petzel, (807) 684-603


• Hamilton - St. Elizabeth Village, 391 Rymal Rd. W.
  contact: Terence Maynard (905) 318-4830, Ext. 17


• Windsor - Charles Clark Square
  contact: Anne Brinkman (519) 977-9211


• Chatham-Kent - John McGregor High School, 300 Cecile Ave., Chatham - contact: Sherrie Burton (519) 685-1007


• Kitchener-Waterloo - Civic Square, Kitchener City Hall
  contact: Jennifer Francis (519) 742-2023


• Sarnia - Germain Park, Bright St., Sarnia
  contact: Elaine Hayter (519) 344-3462

Thank you in advance for your help in promoting organ and tissue donation awareness and please feel free to circulate this posting to others you feel would be interested in taking part!

We’re hoping for a big attendance (the goal is 400 in Kitchner) and everyone is encouraged to come out. The more people that do the more attention it will bring to organ and tissue donation and the wonderful results it can have for individuals like us in the transplant community.

I'll close with this thought taken from the Living Green Ribbon web site:

"We asked you to come out and form a living tableau –– to symbolize your solidarity with those whose names are on the long waiting list for a life-saving or life-enhancing transplant, solidarity with those families who despite their own grief have become donor families, the growing numbers of people who have become living donors. Many more of you have come out just because it’s the right thing to do. And bless you all."