ITASCA, Ill. (Aug. 31, 2026) – The Gift of Hope Community Foundation will honor Carol and Patrick McDermott with the 2026 Life Changer Passionate People Award at the 3rd Annual Gift of Hope Community Foundation Celebration of Donation 5K Run, Walk & Roll on Sept. 13, at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
The Gift of Hope Community Foundation presents the Life Changer Passionate People Award to individuals and teams who make a measurable impact through a commitment to organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Award recipients demonstrate integrity, commitment, courage, advocacy and a can-do attitude in support of saving and enhancing lives through donation.
Patrick McDermott, a decorated retired Chicago firefighter and kidney transplant recipient, has created a personal platform for awareness and advocacy. Together, Patrick and his wife Carol have championed organ donor registration, particularly within communities of color, helping to educate individuals about the life-saving impact of donation and transplantation.
Through outreach and advocacy efforts, the McDermotts have inspired people to consider organ and tissue donation and strengthen community understanding of the need for registered donors.
“Carol and Patrick are true examples of what it means to be passionate advocates for donation and transplantation,” said Audrena Spence, Executive Director of the Gift of Hope Community Foundation. “The telling of Patrick’s transplant journey and their shared commitment to educating and engaging communities have helped advance our mission and bring hope to those awaiting a lifesaving transplant.”
The Celebration of Donation 5K Run, Walk & Roll is a community-focused event that raises awareness and funds while honoring donor families and celebrating transplant recipients whose lives have been saved through the generosity of donor heroes. This year, approximately 1,250 participants are expected to join the event in support of donation and transplantation.
Gift of Hope is again partnering with Fleet Feet for the race, College of DuPage and our media partners WGN-TV and Omni Channel Radio. Additional sponsors include Donate Life Illinois and its partners: The Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, Eversight, Mid-America Transplant, Transplant Life Illinois and the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois as well as Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine and Rush University Medical Center.
The awards presentation will take place immediately following the races on Sept. 13.
To learn more about the Gift of Hope Community Foundation or support its initiatives, visit giftofhope.org/give.
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 that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides public education on donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana. As one of 55 organ procurement organizations in the national 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.