April 2015
Dear Editor:
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) was founded in 1986 when residents of Bloomington, Indiana, rallied around a toddler who needed a life-saving liver transplant. In less than eight weeks, the community raised $100,000 to place the boy on the organ waiting list. But the child died before an organ became available. Those community volunteers, along with his parents, turned tragedy into triumph by using the funds they raised to help other transplant families. That was the beginning of COTA.
Since that time, COTA has assisted thousands of patients by helping to raise funds for transplant-related expenses. COTA has built extensive volunteer networks across the nation in an attempt to ensure that no child or young adult needing an organ or tissue transplant is excluded from a transplant waiting list due to a lack of funds.
COTA needs your help to make sure that tragedies, like the one that was the catalyst in founding COTA, are not repeated.
Every day 21 people die waiting for an organ transplant here in the United States. April is National Donate Life Month. One organ donor can save eight lives. Please register today to become an organ donor by going to www.donatelife.net and registering to be an organ donor in your state.
You can do more. Find out how you can help a COTA family living nearby who needs your help by visiting www.cota.org and clicking on the COTA Families link at the top of the page.
Sincerely,
Rick Lofgren, CFRE
President
rick@cota.org 800.366.2682
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association is a national charity based in Bloomington, Indiana, which is dedicated to guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-related expenses. COTA’s priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant due to lack of funds. 100% of all funds raised in honor of patients are used for transplant-related expenses.
