Happy Holidays from the Dragonfly Transplant Fund!
The Dragonfly Transplant Fund had an active and exciting year in 2021!
The year kicked off with a Valentine’s celebration brunch for the office staff at the UIHC Transplant Center. The celebration was to recognize the record breaking number of transplant recipients in 2020 at UIHC at 103 patients! In partnership with the Bread Garden Market, Dragonfly volunteers delivered box brunches to all the office staff at their work stations. Reports indicate that 2021 may break the record again.
In April, the Dragonfly put together a team to participate in the lowa Donor Network Green 5K and raised over $500 for Iowa Donor Network. In case you didn’t know, April is Donate Life Month.
In August, we held our 4th Annual Golf Outing at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa. 2021 was the best year yet! With over 100 golfers and more than 50 volunteers, we raised over $28,000 donations for the Dragonfly cause. A highlight of the event was to have a number of both organ donors and recipients present at the event. Great job, Dragonfly Golf Committee!
In addition to the golf outing in August, we were able to host Deb's Celebration of Life. In recognizing her courage and our vision, an endowed memorial fund was established. This fund will use its annual earnings to provide educational scholarships for the nurses and staff at the UIHC Transplant Center. To honor Deb's legacy, this fund is named the "Deb & Ed Brown Endowed Dragonfly Fund for Transplant Support.” We owe a big thank you to the University of lowa Center for Advancement for their help and guidance in making this happen. Deb and I wanted to say thank you to everyone at UIHC. It’s a fact that a more knowledgeable staff will help everyone.
To close out the year, the Dragonfly Action Steering Committee committed 10% of the current Dragonfly fund to be used to enhance the transplant process for UIHC patients, families and caregivers. We asked the transplant nursing staff for their input and received valuable ideas as to how we can help make this happen. We can’t wait to show everyone what awesome things are coming in 2022 with this allocation!
I would be remiss if I didn't make note of the growth that the Dragonfly has experienced in the media and marketing department throughout the whole year. Our Dragonfly website and Facebook have proven to be a valuable method of communication and these digital marketing tools have helped us grow awareness for the need for more people to sign up to be organ donors. To everyone who is a donor, we have to say THANK YOU!
No, we have not accomplished our long-term goal - yet! A physical resource center and lounge for transplant patients, caregivers, and families within the walls of UIHC to provide the support their needs is still to come. Once our goal is achieved, the Dragonfly Resource Center will provide a physical space to foster a community of support and survivorship.
When I reflect on the Dragonfly’s accomplishments in 2021, it’s obvious that it was a great year - and the best is yet to come! Where Dragonfly is today and where Dragonfly will be in the future is all because of you and your support. From our Dragonfly family to you, thank you, thank you, thank you - and happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Ed Brown
Co-Founder of the Dragonfly Transplant Fund
