The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) announced it has awarded the 2024 Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award to Bill and Leslie Carruth. The Carruth’s were named recipients following their work promoting organ donation and raising funds for community programs.

After tragically losing their daughter, Alexandra (Allie) in 2017, the Carruth’s made the selfless decision to donate her organs. Driven by Allie’s joyful spirit, they launched the Allie Cat Run & Festival in Meridian, Mississippi, less than a year later. The now annual event has raised over $500,000 for community programs and helped grow the local donor registry by 7%. Their advocacy and outreach spread awareness and hope during times of loss and have inspired families in their community to choose donation.

Created by UNOS in 2010 as the National Donor Memorial Award for Excellence, the award was renamed the Lisa Schaffner Community Advocate Award in honor of Lisa Schaffner, a powerful advocate of donation and transplant and former UNOS employee, who passed away in 2021. The award recognizes those who go above and beyond to promote organ donation.

“The Carruth’s embody exactly what Lisa stood for and fought so hard for. Organ donation saves so many lives and efforts to increase education and awareness are so appreciated,” said Maureen McBride, Ph.D., CEO of UNOS. “I’m grateful for the Carruth’s, who have courageously turned the unimaginable into something deeply meaningful. Through their work, Allie’s memory lives strong and is helping save more lives.”

The Carruth’s were named the winners of the award during the 2024 Tree of Life ceremony on December 16. The annual ceremony recognizes the lives and gifts of more than 20,000 organ donors – and tens of thousands of cornea and tissue donors – and their families, while also celebrating the lives of recipients across the country.

Click here to learn more about the Carruth’s and their daughter, Allie. Visit here to watch this year’s Tree of Life ceremony and hear the Carruth’s acceptance speech.

About UNOS

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a nonprofit organization that serves the organ donation and transplant system and broader public health community through its work developing new technologies and initiatives, conducting data-driven research and analysis, providing expert consulting services, advocating for patients, and being a leader in bringing communities together to save lives.

United Network for Organ Sharing

Anne Paschke

anne.paschke@unos.org

https://unos.org

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