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Dedicate a Rose and Help the 'Family Circle' Garden Grow on the Donate Life Rose Parade® Float LOS ANGELES, CA, September 1, 2006 – Have you ever wanted to be a part of the Rose Parade but couldn’t make it to Pasadena on New Year’s Day? Now you can view your very own rose, or one you gave as a gift, from the comfort of your living room. Via the Donate Life Rose Parade Float “Family Circle” program, any family or individual who has been touched by donation and transplantation can honor a loved one and show your support for the gift of life with a dedicated rose tagged with your personal message and placed on the front of the 2007 Donate Life float, themed Giving From The Heart. A fourth-year parade participant, the Donate Life float was created to inspire people to give life through organ, tissue and blood donation. Launched last year, the “Family Circle” program is a meaningful way to honor people who have been touched by organ or tissue donation, or to share your support of the gift of life. Proceeds from the program help to honor and support families touched by donation and inspire people to donate life. For the first time, the “Family Circle” is offering rose dedication packages to hospitals, transplant centers or any organizations that support donation and transplantation, and to honor individuals and families who have given, received and await the gift of life. One of those for whom the float has special meaning is Laurie Wolowic, whose beloved brother Mike became an organ and tissue donor on Thanksgiving weekend in 2002. To honor Mike’s memory, Wolowic spearheaded the creation of the “Family Circle.” Each dedicated rose will be tagged with the name of the person to whom it honors and placed in a water-filled vial in the heart-shaped “Family Circle Garden” on the front of the Donate Life float. “Come parade day, no matter where you live, you will be able to see where your rose has been placed and feel part of this special tribute to life,” Wolowic affirmed. “There are over 90,000 Americans now waiting for life-saving organs who will also know that your support could bring them closer to the gifts of life they so desperately need.” “Family Circle” packages can be purchased by individuals and families for $25, $50, $100 and $200. Each package contains a rose with the name of the honoree and a thank you note, as well as varying mementos ranging from a personalized certificate to lapel pins to note cards commemorating the 2007 Donate Life float. At $50 per honoree, any company, hospital or transplant center can purchase a minimum of five “Family Circle” rose dedications. Each organization will have the opportunity to tie into the Donate Life float’s national PR campaign to generate local media coverage. The full description of packages and ordering information is available online in the Family Circlesection of the official float website, www.donatelifefloat.org. Orders can be placed online or by downloading and mailing a dedication form. Only “Family Circle” dedications received by Dec. 15 are guaranteed to arrive by Christmas, but all dedications received by Dec. 23 will be assured placement on the 2007 Donate Life float. The 118th Rose Parade will take place on Monday, January 1, 2007 at 8:00 am PST featuring spirited marching bands from throughout the world, majestic floral floats and high-stepping equestrian units. Additional information about the Donate Life float can be found at www.donatelifefloat.org or by contacting float committee chairman Bryan Stewart at (213) 229-5650, bstewart@onelegacy.org. For information about the “Family Circle” rose dedication program, contact Laurie Wolowic at lwolowic@donatelifefloat.org. |