ITASCA, Ill. — The Gift of Hope Community Foundation will host its third annual Gift of Hope Celebration of Donation 5K Run, Walk & Roll on Sept. 13 at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The event brings together participants of all ages and abilities to honor the life-saving impact of organ and tissue donation.
The Community Foundation 5K unites donor families, transplant recipients, healthcare professionals and community supporters for a morning of remembrance, celebration and hope. It honors donor heroes who made the ultimate gift, honors their families and recognizes transplant recipients whose lives have been saved and healed through donation. The event also supports individuals and families who continue to wait for the gift of life.
“The Celebration of Donation 5K” is a community gathering to promote our mission to save and enhance as many lives as possible through organ and tissue donation,” said Audrena Spence, Executive Director of the Gift of Hope Community Foundation. “Each step taken during the race represents a life saved, a family honored and hope for thousands still waiting.”
The event welcomes all levels and mobilities. Participants may choose from a 5K run, walk, or roll, along with a 1-mile option and a Kids’ Dash. In addition to the race, the morning will include family-friendly activities, food trucks, music and more.
Gift of Hope is again partnering with Fleet Feet for the race. Additional sponsors include Donate Life Illinois and its partners: The Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, Mid-America Transplant, Transplant Life Illinois and the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois.
Proceeds from the event support the Gift of Hope Community Foundation’s work to advance organ and tissue donation through public education, donor family support, research and community outreach across Illinois. More than 108,000 people in the United States are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, including more than 5,000 individuals in Illinois and Indiana.
One person can save up to eight lives, restore sight to others through eye donation and heal more than 75 people through tissue donation. Families who authorize donation often share that knowing their loved ones helped others becomes a meaningful source of healing.
Registration Now Open
Registration and event details, including sponsorship opportunities, are available at:
https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/GlenEllyn/GiftOfHope5K
About Gift of Hope Community Foundation:
Established in 2018, the Gift of Hope Community Foundation raises funds to support Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network’s mission and programs, to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation. Learn more about the Foundation at giftofhope.org/give.
About Gift of Hope
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is the nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides public education on donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana. As one of 55 OPOs that make up the nation’s organ donation system, Gift of Hope works with 180 hospitals and serves 12 million people in its donation service area. Since 1986, its work has saved the lives of more than 30,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. For more information, visit giftofhope.org.