Saving Lives at a Summer Adoption Event

August 7, 2018: What’s better than saving lives?

On a Saturday in late June, Alachua County Animal Services hosted an event in which those who registered as organ donors or donated blood received an adoption-fee waiver to cover a pet’s adoption fee! The pet could be adopted that day, or the voucher could be used to sponsor a pet’s fee for a future “furever” home.

During the morning, a free microchip clinic was held by the Alachua County Humane Society, and those who adopted or got a pet microchipped received free pet food. Radio station 98.5 KTK was also present.

LifeQuest had 10 volunteers assist with the event, with four staffing the table at various times throughout the day. Newer volunteers were paired with more-experienced volunteers to encourage mentorship in addition to Donate Life community.

A new volunteer, whose father passed during liver transplant surgery, was able to meet another volunteer whose husband received liver and kidney transplants and has since passed. An organ donor’s friend worked with a donor mother whose son donated five organs. A second-year law student volunteered with a retired CPA whose son was a tissue donor. These connections can be very helpful for our volunteers as they work to register more people as organ donors.

Also, LifeSouth’s donor recruiter who worked the event, Deb LaBud, is a LifeQuest volunteer who received a lung-transplant 16 years ago.

Many of the nearly 200 who attended the event were already registered as organ donors; however, our table did prompt families to have conversations about organ donation, which is often one of the most important hurdles with our cause – people don’t talk about organ donation enough.

LifeQuest staff and volunteers met many of the community’s pets and had a wonderful time, as we gathered to save lives this summer!