The youngest rider, 12-year-old Hannah Grinnan of Redlands, Calif., received a heart transplant at 11 days of age, defying the same disease that killed a brother many years before. Liver recipient Tyla Newbold of Sandy, Utah was 16 when her life was saved by a woman who died the day after her son, fellow float rider Carter Bryant, 13, was born. And thanks to his indomitable spirit and donated allograft tissue, 29-year-old Manuel Salazar of Aurora, Colo., survived a devastating construction accident six years ago and now thrives as a quadruple amputee.

"Our float riders inspire people every day in their own communities, and as riders on the Donate Life float New Life Rises, they will bring their messages of hope, remembrance and service to millions of people around the world," said Bryan Stewart, chairman of the Donate Life float committee and vice president of communications at OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ and tissue organization serving the greater Los Angeles area. "Their collective presence on the Donate Life float offers dramatic testimony to the lives that are saved and healed through organ, eye and tissue donation. Some were literally days away from death when the generosity of donors and their families gave them a second chance. Now they inspire others to sign up on their state donor registries."

New Life Rises, which marks the donation and transplant community's seventh appearance in the Rose Parade, features a phoenix, the mythical symbol of life coming out of the ashes of death and rising from a bed of flames into the sky. The Donate Life phoenix represents those who give life in their passing and the people whose lives are renewed through transplantation. The bird soars high above the riders who are seated along a replica of the National Donor Memorial's Wall of Names at the headquarters of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, Va. Adorning the bird's tail feathers are dozens of floragraphs -- portraits created with floral materials -- of deceased donors who gave life to those in need. In addition, donors across the country will be memorialized in a garden of roses dedicated through the Donate Life Family Circle program, with each rose vial carrying a personal message of love, hope and remembrance.

Donated tissue has made a profound difference in the life of 29-year-old Manuel Salazar, whose life was changed in an instant six years ago when a crane on a construction job site hit a power line, sending two 115,000-volt jolts of electricity through his body. Miraculously Manuel survived, but his burns were life-threatening and required that his arms and legs be amputated. But thanks to Manuel's indomitable spirit and donated allograft tissue, he not only survived but thrives. Six years after the accident, Manuel skis, swims, drives and owns an auto body shop.

While playing tight end on the College of Wooster football team, Mike Vyrostek of Pataskala, Ohio tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) his sophomore year. In order to return to the game he loved, he would need donated tissue to rebuild his knee. Chris Craig, Mike's friend and teammate, had lost his father just before the start of their freshman year. Mike Craig had been a high school teacher and football coach, and was killed in an accident at their home. When Chris's mom, Gail, heard about Vyrostek's injury, she asked if her husband's donated tissue could repair the injury. The result was an extremely rare directed tissue donation, enabling Vyrostek to return to the gridiron. Vyrostek will ride under a floragraph of his tissue donor.

Tissue donation has also made a life-changing difference to Air Force Technical Sergeant Jeremy Starr. In 1999 he was on active duty in Aviano, Italy when he suffered two menisci tears and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Four years later, he re-injured his ACL and was told that his military life could be over. Surgery using a donated tendon and meniscus allografts allowed him to continue his military career and enjoy cross-country running.

Two riders received kidneys from their sons, both living and deceased. Delores Benton Evans of Durham, N.C., received son Ryan's left kidney the day after he died. "It is amazing that in life, he could not donate a kidney to me, but after his death it was possible," she said. Delores kept a personal promise by becoming an avid volunteer to increase organ, tissue and bone donations and advocate for kidney patients on dialysis. With graduate degrees in social work and law, Delores is also developing a program offering free legal assistance to transplant recipients and their families.

Lili Ibanez of Westminster, Calif., reluctantly agreed to accept her teen son Anthony's offer to donate his kidney. Without his offer, the likelihood of her finding a kidney to match her Samoan background would have been slim. "I was 15 when I was asked what my life's dream was, and I answered without hesitation, "to have a son," said Lili. "How could I have known that the dream of having a son would lead me to depend on him to save my life? We are registered organ donors and consider our new life to be an adventure."

Two California riders have seen their lives altered by a diagnosis of lupus, a chronic life-threatening disease in which the body attacks itself. For Sunny Luna of Visalia, her kidneys failed shortly out of high school. She ultimately had to undergo three kidney transplants and endured the heartbreak of losing her firstborn. Despite years of treatment and pain, Sunny earned a degree in social work.

Sunny will have an opportunity to meet Wendy Rodgers of Torrance, another lupus survivor and spokeswoman in an Ad Council lupus awareness campaign. The former math and science teacher waited nine years for a kidney, during which time she endured long hospital stays that required extensive donations of blood and plasma. As a result of a generous donor, she can now raise her daughter in a life free of dialysis.

Three riders, Hazelee Moultrie of Kingston N.Y.; Joann Nixon of Ft. Wayne, Ind.; and Debra Thompson of Wellsville, N.Y. share the heartache of losing children. Hazelee donated her 11-year-old daughter's organs after she suffered a brain aneurysm. Through that decision, Hazelee not only made a difference in the lives of four people who received Lena's organs, but she also found a new family in her hometown, which dedicated a memorial stage called "Lena's Imagination."

Joann donated her son Christopher's organs when he was killed on his bicycle at age 11. Despite her grief, she and her husband Phil allowed a local television station to document their process in a Peabody-award-winning program that has educated thousands of students about donation. They also worked actively to change laws to improve safety in their community. Tragically, eight years after Christopher's death, Joann once again made the decision to donate -- this time for Phil, who had died in an accident at home.

Debra had already lost one child to a car accident at the time her youngest child, Laurie, was seven. Born with Down Syndrome, Laurie died at the age of 24 after choking during dinner. Debra made the decision to donate, and Laurie saved five people. "After our tragedy, many of our friends and others in our town of Wellsville have made the decision to become organ and tissue donors, so the loss of my special girl was not in vain," Debra affirmed. "She will continue to bring joy into the lives of others, in the domino effect that has been created by the donating her organs."

And some riders have learned important life lessons from experiencing illness at a young age. Nikki McKenna of Cranberry Township, Pa., found that kidney disease at age 14 could be faced bravely. She remembered that "During my illness and after my transplant, I learned two very important lessons: take responsibility for your well being, and keep a positive attitude. Although life was harder, I was determined to make the best of it."

Matthew Ogle of Chino Hills, Calif., endured 24 surgeries before his fifth birthday, the year he received his kidney transplant. When he was eight, he began speaking to groups about how his transplant had changed his life. Now 18, Matthew continues to speak in his community and is active in sports at his local school. He challenges members of the Class of 2010 nationwide to register as organ and tissue donors.

More than 28,000 lives like the ones described here are saved each year in the U.S. through organ donations. These gifts give hope to the more than 103,000 people now awaiting transplants, 18 of whom are dying daily due to a shortage of organs. In addition, a single tissue donor can save and heal 50 others through needed corneas, skin, bone, and tendons that are used to prevent or cure blindness, heal burns or save limbs.

"There is one reason why we work for more than 15 months to create a meaningful float experience each year," stressed Stewart, "and that is to inspire people to sign up to be organ and tissue donors. Lives hang in the balance, and transplants transform the lives of both those who give and those who receive."

Coordinated by Donate Life America member OneLegacy, the national Donate Life float campaign is supported by approximately 60 official partners from coast to coast, including organ and tissue recovery organizations, tissue banks, state donor registries, transplant centers and affiliated organizations. Joining OneLegacy as top-level benefactors are Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a fourth-year sponsor of five float riders through the "Ride of a Lifetime" contest and supporter of 1,000 volunteer decorators; the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB); the Dignity Memorial® network, North America's largest network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers and sponsor of four floragraphs; Donate Life America; and UNOS and the National Donor Memorial. All float partners encourage parade viewers to save lives by registering in their states to be organ, eye and tissue donors and donating blood in their communities.

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game® presented by Citi. The 121st Rose Parade will take place Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, at 8 a.m. (PST) featuring majestic floral floats, high-stepping equestrian units and spirited marching bands. Following the Rose Parade, the 96th Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi will kick off at 2:10 p.m. and feature an exciting match-up between two of the top teams in the country.