Donate Life California CEO Decorates 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade Float

Poway residents Charlene Zettel, CEO of Donate Life California, and her husband, David, joined the families of organ and tissue donors, recipients and living donors on Dec. 6 to decorate the 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade float, “The Never-Ending Story,” in Pasadena. Since its debut on New Year’s Day 2004, the Donate Life float in the 2015 Rose Parade® has served as a memorial to organ and tissue donors and a platform for donor families, living donors and transplant recipients to inspire the world to save and heal those in need through the gift of life.

The Donate Life float features an enormous open book appearing to release 60 butterflies representing the number of lives that can be transformed by a single deceased organ donor ascending above 72 books adorned with floragraph portraits of deceased donors whose legacies are celebrated by their loved ones.Thirty riders, mostly organ and tissue recipients, will be seated among thousands of dedicated roses bearing personal messages of love, hope and remembrance. Twelve living donors will walk alongside the float that will be seen by 40 million viewers nationwide.

Today, more than 124,000 candidates are on the national organ transplant waiting list. Largely due to the rarity of donation opportunities, only about 29,000 organs are transplanted each year. As a result, on average, 18 candidates die each day for lack of a donor. A single organ donor can save the lives of eight people through organ donation, while a single tissue donor can save and heal 50 others through needed heart valves, corneas, skin, bone, and tendons that mend hearts, prevent or cure blindness, heal burns and save limbs. For more information: www.donatelifefloat.org

Donate Life California is the state-authorized nonprofit organization responsible for managing the organ, eye and tissue registry. Its mission is to save lives by inspiring people to sign up with the state organ, eye and tissue donor registry. Its vision is that one day all Californians will embrace organ, eye and tissue donation as their personal responsibility. http://donatelifecalifornia.org/about-us/#sthash.5vE25OCU.dpuf