As we begin 2026, I want to reflect on the incredible impact we’ve made together and share what lies ahead. The LifeNet Health Foundation exists because of a shared commitment to honor the gift of donation and transform lives through research, education, and community support.
In 2025, the generosity from our sponsors and partners enabled us to support donor family events and expand donation awareness efforts. Every contribution, whether financial or through advocacy, advances our mission: Saving Lives, Restoring Health, and Giving Hope.
We started the new year by honoring Erik Rushford as our Rose Bowl Parade float honoree. Erik’s legacy and the lives he touched through organ and tissue donation were memorialized on the OneLegacy Donate Life float on New Year’s Day. You can read more about Erik and his family’s experience in this newsletter.
Looking ahead, the 2026 Donate Life Month theme, “Leaving a Legacy,” reflects our ongoing focus on community engagement and education, your involvement through volunteering, fundraising, or sharing our message helps amplify the impact of donation and the hope it provides.
Thank you for standing with us. Together, we will continue to honor the gift of donation and make a lasting difference.
Sincerely,
Will Driscoll Director, Foundation & Community Outreach
This event supports donor families, advances medical education, and fuels research and innovation that enhances lives through transplantation. Get involved through foursome or corporate sponsorships, tee box or hole sponsorships, volunteering, or donating raffle prizes to amplify our fundraising impact.
We also welcome additional ways to connect with partners and expand awareness of our mission. To share suggestions, contact LifeNet Health Foundation Director Will Driscoll at william_driscoll@lifenethealth.org.
A Legacy Honored at the
Rose Bowl Parade
Each year, the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Bowl Parade float pays tribute to donors whose generosity saves and heals lives. In 2026, that tribute included Erik Rushford, a 22-year-old donor whose final act of kindness impacted more than 140 people worldwide, including a child who received his heart.
Honored by LifeNet Health, Erik’s family traveled to Pasadena to take part in the Rose Bowl Parade experience, days filled with remembrance, connection, and moments that celebrated who Erik was and the life-changing legacy he left behind. For his parents, Christine and Todd, and brother Sean, the experience created space for both grief and joy and reinforced how donation continues to keep Erik’s story alive.
Read the full story to learn how the Rose Parade helped the Rushford family honor Erik, find meaning through donation, and continue sharing his legacy of compassion
On Saturday, April 4, 2026, the LifeNet Health Foundation will take part in the 17th Annual Point of Honor 5K in Lynchburg, Virginia. Run or walk, every step helps raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.
Planning to participate? Join the Foundation’s race team (LNH Foundation) and help amplify our impact.
Founded in 2008 in memory of Korrine Shroyer, an organ donor, this event has raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the LifeNet Health Foundation’s outreach and donation awareness efforts.
April is Donate Life Month
Observed each April since 2003, National Donate Life Month raises awareness about organ, tissue, and eye donation, encourages donor registration, and honors those who have saved and healed lives through donation.
This year’s theme, “Leave a Legacy,” highlights the hope donation provides to more than 100,000 Americans currently waiting for an organ transplant, including over 3,100 in Virginia.
Join us throughout April.
Donate Life Living Donor Day – Wednesday, April 1
Blue & Green Spirit Week – April 4 - 11
Blue & Green Day – Friday, April 10
Your support helps heal and save lives. Learn more at www.DonateLife.net
Proudly celebrating 20 years of connecting donor families and recipients through compassionate, confidential messages of gratitude.
Last year alone, over 4,100 thousand Thanks2You messages were exchanged, each one affirming the enduring impact of donation and offering comfort, healing, and hope. As we mark this milestone, we honor every donor family, recipient, and team member who has helped sustain this meaningful program.
Received a LifeNet Health allograft? Share a message of gratitude with a donor family or learn more about the program by clicking below.
At the end of 2025, LifeNet Health employees came together to support local communities through a food collection drive at our Virginia Beach and Richmond facilities. More than 2,200 pounds of food were donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Henrico Community Food Bank. Thank you to all who helped make a difference during the holiday season.
Thank You!
Your generosity helps restore hope and healing every day. Together, we're building a stronger community and creating a lasting impact through the work of the LifeNet Health Foundation. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we rely on the generosity of donors like you to sustain and grow our programs. Tax-deductible gifts to the Foundation are accepted year-round and directly support our mission.
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