ITASCA, Ill. (August 31, 2026) – The Gift of Hope Community Foundation will honor Corinne Rossi, liver transplant recipient and dedicated Community Ambassador, with the 2026 Life Changer Compassionate Service Award at the 3rd Annual Gift of Hope Community Foundation Celebration of Donation 5K Run, Walk & Roll on Sept. 13, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois at the College of DuPage.
The Community Foundation presents the Life Changer Compassionate Service Award to individuals who consistently make a difference by leading with compassion. The award recognizes those whose actions tangibly advance Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network’s mission to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation while exemplifying the organization’s core value of Compassionate Service, including reverence, honor, active caring, and a servant heart.
“Corinne exemplifies the heart of the Compassionate Service Award,” said Audrena Spence, Executive Director of the Gift of Hope Community Foundation. “Her personal transplant story, combined with her dedication to educating and supporting others, reflects the very best of our mission and values. Corinne leads with empathy and a genuine desire to help others, making a lasting impact on everyone she meets.”
As a liver transplant recipient, Rossi understands firsthand the profound impact of organ donation. Inspired by the gift that transformed her own life, she has dedicated herself to serving others through her work as a Gift of Hope Community Ambassador. Through public education and personal storytelling, Rossi has become a trusted advocate for donation and transplantation, helping individuals and families understand its life-saving power.
Rossi’s willingness to share her transplant journey has inspired countless people to register as organ donors, engage in meaningful conversations with loved ones, and support those awaiting a lifesaving transplant. Her compassionate approach, coupled with her unwavering commitment to service, has made her an invaluable representative of Gift of Hope’s mission throughout the communities she serves.
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 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.