ANNANDALE, VA (November 16, 2011)—Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), the organization that promotes and facilitates all deceased organ, eye and tissue donation in the DC area, has announced the winners of its first-ever Done Vida Scholarship.  Done Vida, which means “Donate Life” in Spanish, celebrates the notion that organ, eye and tissue donation saves and enhances lives.  The rules for the scholarship required students of Hispanic descent to create a two to three-minute video on the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. 

Three of the winners have a connection to the cause of organ, eye and tissue donation

ANNANDALE, VA (May 12, 2011)—Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), the organization that promotes and facilitates organ, eye and tissue donation in the DC area, has announced the winners of its 2011 Legacy of Life Scholarship.  The rules for the scholarship require students to write a persuasive essay on the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation, and winners sometimes incorporate a non-fictional story to help bolster the points made in their essays.  This year, three of the scholarship winners wrote about their direct connections to donation—including one student whose cousin became a donor after a tragic death.

ANNANDALE, VA (January 10, 2011) – Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), the organ procurement organization serving the Washington, DC, metro area, has named Kenny Boyd as its director of hospital development and professional education.

WASHINGTON, DC (November 5, 2010)—Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), the federally-designated non-profit organization that facilitates and promotes awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation in the DC area, has received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Gold Medal of Honor in recognition of its excellence in providing precious organs for the recipients who so desperately need them.  WRTC is only one of eight recovery agencies (of which there are 58 in the United States) to receive this honor, which was awarded at the Sixth National Learning Congress, a conference bringing together all of the organizations and hospitals that facilitate organ, eye and tissue donation as well as support donor registries across the nation. 

WASHINGTON, DC (June 8, 2010)—Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), the Donate Life organization in the DC area that promotes awareness for organ and tissue donation, will hold its first annual Donate Life Run/Walk for Life 5K on Sunday, June 13, 2010.  500 individuals will take part in the run/walk to raise awareness, as well as to remember those who have given the ultimate gift of life through organ and tissue donation.  Participants include donor family members, transplant recipients and others whose lives have been affected by these brave organ and tissue donors.

ANNANDALE, VA (May 4, 2010)—For the second record-breaking year in a row, Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC) has announced the winners of its 2010 Legacy of Life Scholarship.  223 essays were submitted in the competition—the most ever.  Of these, eight essays surpassed the rest, and the writers will be awarded cash scholarships to attend the college of their choice. 

Click here to visit the official WRTC YouTube page:  www.YouTube.com/user/WRTCbeadonor.

WASHINGTON, DC (DECEMBER 4, 2009)—For the first time, a native of our nation’s capital will be honored on the Donate Life Float during the 121st Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, on January 1, 2010.  The honoree, Jessica Marie Ward of Washington, DC, became a tissue donor when she died in 2003 at Providence Hospital.  Through Jessica’s decision to give the gift of life through tissue donation, she was able to save and enhance the lives of 23 individuals.  Because of this noble gift, Jessica’s parents and sisters will travel to Pasadena, CA, to honor her on the 7th annual Donate Life Rose Parade Float.  The Donate Life float in the Rose Parade is the largest public celebration of organ and tissue donation in the country.

RESTON, VA (October 13, 2009)—The family of Tim Susco, who died of a brain aneurysm in 2007, will hold the second annual Brain Aneurysm Race for Awareness 8K in his memory.  The race will benefit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, supporting brain aneurysm research, as well as Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC), supporting organ and tissue donation.  The 8K race will begin at 9am on Saturday, October 17 at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Dr), with the 2K “fun run” beginning at 9:05am.

CHEVERLY, MD (September 22, 2009)—Donate Life Maryland (DLMD), the organization dedicated to saving and enhancing lives by registering organ, eye and tissue donors in the state, along with Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) announced the completion of their years-long project to combine the MVA’s organ and tissue donor designation data with that of the state’s online registry, www.donatelifemaryland.org.  The project was made possible with oversight by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.