December: Tree of Life Celebration

The Donate Life Partnership of Virginia (United Network for Organ Sharing; Old Dominion Eye Foundation; LifeNet Health, Inc, Donate Life America, and National Kidney Foundation) sponsors an annual lighting of the Tree of Life on at UNOS Headquarters in Richmond, Virginia.

The ceremony is an opportunity to commemorate the kindness and generosity shown by families who have made the decision to donate a loved one’s organ, tissues or eyes and to offer solace for those families who often experience a greater sense of loss during the holidays. Families are encouraged to bring or mail an ornament in memory of their loved ones. The program provides an opportunity for families to hang their ornament on the tree and to hear empowering testimony from families who have made similar decisions during the last year. Those donors,as well as others who have contributed in the past, are also recognized during this program.