Donate Life Northwest

09/03/2026

We’re looking for volunteers to join us at the Vancouver Peace and Justice Fair on Saturday, September 12!

This community event at Esther Short Park brings together local organizations working toward peace, justice, connection, and positive change throughout Southwest Washington.

Volunteer shifts:
• Shift 1: 8:30 AM–12:00 PM
• Shift 2: 11:30 AM–3:30 PM

Come spend part of your Saturday connecting with the community and helping us share the lifesaving message of donation. Sign up here: https://www.donatelifenw.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=10640&id=10640

09/03/2026

There's still time to submit your recipe! The deadline to submit your recipe and story for Tastes of Gratitude: Recipes that Honor the Gift of Life has been extended to September 7!

This community cookbook will bring together recipes and stories from donor families, living donors, transplant recipients, medical professionals, and advocates. Help us create a cookbook filled with food, heritage, gratitude, hope, and the voices of our donation community.

Learn more or submit a recipe here: https://www.donatelifenw.org/forms/tastes-gratitude-recipes-honor-gift-life

09/03/2026

John Chambers spent more than 50 years making music as a vocalist, keyboard player, and accordion player. In 2020, his life took a very different turn when liver disease left him critically ill and waiting for a transplant.

After being transferred to the VA hospital in Portland, John’s condition continued to decline. Two weeks later, a donor match was found.

That lifesaving transplant gave John another chance, and with it, a deep sense of gratitude for the donor and donor family who made it possible.

“I am deeply grateful to my donor for making the decision that would save my life. It is one of the greatest sacrifices that someone can give, to donate your organ to help someone else live.”

Read John's full Story of Hope: https://www.donatelifenw.org/stories-of-hope/john-chambers

09/02/2026

Thirty-four more years of memories, milestones, family, and life made possible through organ donation.

Estella Crews carries deep gratitude for the donor family whose generous decision gave her a second chance.

“It is the best gift anyone could ever give,” Estella says.

Learn more about organ, eye, and tissue donation, or registered today: https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/register-now

09/01/2026

"It takes a community to make transplantation possible."

It takes a community to make transplantation possible.💫

Behind every organ, eye, and tissue transplant are people and systems working together. It’s a complex process built around one extraordinary gift: the decision to donate.💝

Learn how organ donation works: organdonor.gov/learn/process

09/01/2026

Oregon and Southwest Washington teachers, you bring organ, eye, and tissue donation education into your classroom this school year.

Donate Life Northwest, in collaboration with Cascade Life Alliance, offers free, factual, culturally sensitive educational resources designed to engage students and encourage thoughtful conversations about donation and transplantation.

Teachers can choose from:
• Teach-It-Yourself materials, including lesson plans, videos, activities, handouts, teacher training videos and more
• Guest speakers that share their personal story about donation and transplant

Learn more or make a request:
https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/classroom-presentation-request

08/30/2026

Today is National Grief Awareness Day, a reminder that grief looks different for everyone and that there is no single timeline or “right” way to experience it.

For donor families, grief and gratitude can exist side by side. The loss of someone deeply loved may also carry the knowledge that their generosity helped save, heal, or restore the lives of others.

Today, we honor those who are grieving, remember donor heroes, and recognize the families who continue carrying both love and loss with them. https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/register-now

08/29/2026

When Edward needed a lifesaving transplant, the generosity of a donor and donor family gave him a second chance. Today, he and his mother are dedicated to sharing their story and helping others understand the powerful impact of organ and tissue donation.

That one decision can mean more time with family, more milestones, more memories, and more opportunities to live life fully.

Stories like Edward's remind us that behind every transplant is a donor hero whose gift creates hope for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Learn more or register your decision today:
https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/register-now

08/28/2026

Are you currently on the kidney transplant waitlist at OHSU, Legacy, or the Portland VA? Our Finding a Living Donor Workshop is coming up this September.

This free, two-day virtual workshop is designed for waitlisted kidney patients and the support partners they choose to bring.

📅 Day 1: September 13, 9:00 AM–12:30 PM
📅 Day 2: September 20, 9:00 AM–12:30 PM

The workshop is offered in English, with Spanish interpretation and materials available upon request. Registration includes both sessions, and space is limited. Registration closes August 30, 2026.

Register here: https://www.donatelifenw.org/civicrm/event/register?id=10641&reset=1

08/28/2026

After six years of battling kidney disease, Neil's condition progressed to kidney failure, and he faced an uncertain future. Less than 10 months after being placed on the transplant waiting list, he received the call that changed everything: a donor kidney was available.

Just 28 days after his lifesaving transplant, Neil is back home with his wife and daughters, making memories and looking forward to the moments he once feared he might miss.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈'𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲."

Stories like Neil's are a powerful reminder that organ donation means more than a transplant. It means more birthdays, more family adventures, more graduations, and more time with the people we love.

Learn more or register your decision today:
https://www.donatelifenw.org/content/register-now