Growing up, Matthew Douglas Lausch was a very busy and inquisitive little boy. He loved basketball, football, and track and field, as well as the outdoors -- hiking, hunting, fishing, snowboarding and swimming. He lived by the golden rule and his motto was “Live, Laugh, Love, Dance.”

Matt was a great older brother always who looked out for his little sister Olivia and always gave her advice when it was needed.

From an early age, Matt was always helping others, and as he grew older he became very aware of volunteerism. “One time, when we were leaving a store, he gave his last $5 to a man outside who was begging for help,” recalled his mother Elizabeth. “I asked him why he had done that: ‘Because mom, you never know when you might need help. You may as well help others while you can.’ I never would have thought of a 15-year-old boy thinking that way.”

That same year, Matt received his driver’s license. Without his parents’ knowledge, he chose to become an organ donor. “Doug and I found this out when he was in a car accident on May 5, 2009,” said Elizabeth. “We are so proud of him. Matt thought out his entire life. He was a very compassionate, loving and caring guy, always helping others. One of his favorite sayings was, ‘Don’t look back or at the black, there is always something golden to look for.’”

Matt passed away on May 7, 2009 at the age of 20. He had been studying computer engineering at college, where he had maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Elizabeth summed up: “Matt gave the greatest gift a person could give his fellow man. He gave the gift of life through eye and organ donation.”