Hey Donor Dudes!

NCAA championships, baseball season, The Masters and recent Colorado powder days - we love the spring sports season! April is also National Donate Life Month, a time to honor donors and celebrate the gift of life. Thank you for joining us in our efforts to make a difference for the individuals waiting on a second chance at life, over 118,000 people today.

Two weeks ago our board of directors and staff gathered for a Chris Klug Foundation strategic planning session. During our three days together we analyzed our current programs and determined our most effective course of action moving forward. The need for more organ and tissue donors remains crucial. CKF continues to be grateful to our supporters as we grow with new programs to educate young people about donation and highlight a healthy, active life post-transplant.

The Chris Klug Foundation is celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year and we couldn't have made it this far without you! We appreciate you supporting our work to save lives by increasing awareness about organ and tissue donation. Your stories and experiences with organ and tissue donation are always welcome. Together, we are making a difference!

The Team at CKF

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MAKE A GIFT

Donations to the Chris Klug Foundation enable us to continue spreading the message of organ and tissue donation far and wide. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Every bit helps! Click here to donate

DONOR DUDES SHOUT OUTS

This Donor Dude shout out is for the all the kids we met at the recent event at Children's Hospital Colorado! Each one of them, ranging in age from 6 months old to 17 years old, had a smile on their face despite having liver disease. Their undeniable passion for life was very inspiring. We wish them all the very best and hope to hear great stories of personal achievement as they grow.

RECENT EVENTS

Family Wellness Summit

We were part of the Family Wellness Summit at Smokey Hill High School in Aurora, CO this past Saturday. This health and wellness fair is a fun and free celebration for all ages. The event is in conjunction with the Cherry Creek School District “9Health Fair”. Donor Dudes Hannah and Anne Townsend were there along side CKF Director, Jenny Dziura, to encourage students and parents to discuss the topic of organ and tissue donation. Hannah was proud to share with visitors that she is a liver recipient living a healthy, active life!

Liver Symposium Children's Hospital

On Saturday, April 13 the Chris Klug Foundation was at Children’s Hospital Colorado for a Liver Symposium event. The new event was an opportunity for patients, families and community members to gather together for inspiration, connect with others and learn more about life with liver disease. Chris Klug was honored to be the keynote speaker. He shared his story of being diagnosed with PSC, being on the transplant waiting list, and feeling better than ever after receiving the gift of life (now nearly 13 years after his liver transplant). Chris had the opportunity to meet many kids and teenagers living with liver disease or adjusting to life after their transplant. They shared experiences and inspiring stories with each other. It was a great event we were happy to be a part of and we thank the wonderful staff at Children’s Hospital Colorado for hosting us.

USASA Snowboard Nationals

March 30-31 was a big weekend at Copper Mountain, where 2,500 skiers and snowboarders competed in several events including giant slalom racing, boardercross, slopestyle and superpipe. Over 400 people stopped by our booth to learn more about the Chris Klug Foundation. Many powerful conversations were had with folks from all over the country, including former team members of Dylan Peters. Dylan was a young USASA snowboard slopestyle champion who attributed his decision to be an organ and tissue donor to meeting Chris Klug at the event in 2010. In light of his tragic passing April 7, 2011 he gave the gift of life to five people as well as sight to two people. We dedicated that event to Dylan.

CAPHERD Convention

The California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance held their annual convention in Santa Monica March 7-10. This event was a valuable way to promote and distribute our free donor educational video, “Know the Facts, Share your Decision”. Our Donor Dudes video coordinator, Carmen Dowley, spoke to approximately 600 faculty, mostly health and P.E. teachers, about our easy tool for presenting the topic of donation in classrooms. California recently passed a law that will require the topic of organ & tissue donation to be covered in schools. This was perfect timing to provide teachers with our educational resources.

National Donor Day
On February 14 we had Donor Dudes events happening in five different high schools. Each one shared a successful report with multiple students proudly showing their donor designations on their permit or driver’s license. Between the five schools, 31 new students registered as organ and tissue donors. We enjoyed seeing the groups get creative with their activation – the group from Roaring Fork High School (pictured here) created cutouts that featured all the organs and tissues that can be transplanted. They also made cupcakes to share with their fellow peers! Great work everyone, thank you for increasing awareness about donation! UPCOMING EVENTS   AAPHERD Convention April 23-27 We have found the APHERD association to be a very effective way to reach teachers who will use our educational video, "Know the Facts, Share your Decision" with middle and high school students. This week Carmen will be at the National convention in North Carolina that will have an attendance of 5,000 teachers and faculty. She is expecting to distribute a significant amount of free video packets!   Team Transplant - Elephant Rock Ride June 2 In a relentless effort to reduce the number of people awaiting a lifesaving transplant, Team Transplant - the American Transplant Foundation’s charity cycling team - will cycle the 2013 Subaru Elephant Rock on June 2nd. Riders can cycle one of the five beautiful courses - eight, 27, 32, 62, or even 100 miles. Team Transplant competes to raise awareness surrounding the lifesaving organ and tissue donation, and to prove that transplant recipients and living donors can lead healthy, active lives after a transplant! For the last four years in a row, Team Transplant has been the largest charity team participating in The Subaru Elephant Rock, the Rocky Mountain's largest cycling festival. Check out the benefits of cycling with Team Transplant as they celebrate their 5th anniversary! For more information about riding with Team Transplant, visit the team page.   Vans Warped Tour June 16 - July 20 One of our annual donor awareness events is the Vans Warped Tour. Each year we are part of the popular punk rock concerts in Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland and other major cities. These events would not be possible without the help of our amazing Donor Dudes volunteers and our friends at the Organ Procurement Organizations. We have secured 10 stops on the tour calendar this year! Check out our tour schedule.   Leadville Trail 100 Team CKF August 10 Leadville 100 Team CKF is back for the second year in a row to compete in the infamous 100 mile mountain bike race in Leadville, CO. The race climbs over 14,000 vertical feet starting and ending at 10,000ft elevation! We have 13 team members, including Chris Klug, who have committed to raising awareness about organ & tissue donation while fundraising for CKF. Keep in mind these men and women are doing this in addition to their race training! Funds raised through this event will benefit the Chris Klug Foundation’s programs. Our foundation is extremely grateful to each person on the team and those who will be supporting them throughout the way. Meet the team!   8th Annual Aspen Summit for Life December 6-7 Save the date for our 8th Annual Aspen Summit for Life December 6-7! If you haven't participated in this event yet, this is your year! The fun, challenging and rewarding nighttime hike up Aspen Mountain is definitely an experience worth adding to your calendar. Our new event planners, Bluebird Productions, are busy preparing the summertime promotions and our new race registration and fundraising system. Keep an eye out for updates! We hope you can join us on December 7, it's going to be a great event! Check out the highlight videos from previous years. GET INVOLVED AS A DONOR DUDE: Donor Dudes is our education program targeting teenagers through action sports. To be a "Donor Dude" means sharing the lifesaving message of donation in a fun and creative way. It can be hosting your own donor awareness event at school, in your community or even starting a Donor Dudes club! We'll provide you with the information and materials you need to be successful. As part of National Donate Life Month we have several Donor Dudes booths set up across the country. Students and faculty from high school or colleges are hosting their own donor awareness event on campus. We look forward to sharing their updates with you! Please contact us anytime to learn more about how to get involved. Thanks for checking in! Jenny Dziura Executive Director Chris Klug Foundation www.chrisklugfoundation.org info@chrisklug.org 970.216.2511

DID YOU KNOW: (Courtesy of Donate Life America)

Fact: One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance more than 100 lives through tissue donation. Fact: There are currently 118,070 people currently on the national transplant waiting list. Fact: If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ, eye and tissue donation can only be considered after you are deceased Fact: Anyone can be a potential donor regardless of age, race, or medical history Fact: All major religions in the United States support organ, eye and tissue donation and see it as the final act of love and generosity toward others. These are some pretty eye-opening facts! Here is how you can do your part: Educate yourself and your friends on the facts about organ and tissue donation. Work to spread the word in a cool way at your school or in your community. Each state is different in terms of how you properly register to be a donor. LOG ON to find out what your state requires, and follow the necessary steps. Be sure to share your decision with your family, and encourage your friends to do the same. Together we can eliminate the wait!