Muskegon Area CTC HOSA Students Participate in Challenge to Save and Heal Lives

Annual HOSA Challenge sets records in effort to help patients on organ transplant waiting list

Muskegon Area CTC students rally to increase number of Michigan organ and tissue donors

There are nearly 1,000 new organ and tissue donors registered in Michigan, thanks to the efforts of students across the state.

The students, from Michigan Health Occupation Students of America – known as HOSA-Future Health Professionals – have just completed their fourth statewide competition to register new organ and tissue donors and inspire support for organ and tissue donation. 

This year, 25 different chapters, including Muskegon Area Career Tech Center HOSA, took part in the competition to save and heal lives, coordinating nearly 3,500 activities to educate the community about organ, eye and tissue. A total of 964 new donors were registered.

“Once again, Michigan HOSA students have gone above and beyond to help Michiganders waiting for organ, eye and tissue transplants,” said Alison Gillum, Community Relations Coordinator at Gift of Life Michigan. “They did an amazing job.”

Schools are awarded points for each new registration and for the activities they coordinate to educate their peers about organ and tissue donation. Muskegon Area CTC students registered 41 new donors and completed a variety of activities to educate the community about donation.

Kathy Andrews, Health Science Academy Instructor and HOSA Advisor at the Career Center says, “this is our fourth time being a part of the Gift of Life HOSA Challenge. Our students are so proud to participate in this important work that will help people right here in our community.”

There are nearly 107,000 people waiting for a new organ in the U.S., including 2,478 in Michigan. A single donor can save up to eight lives and help as many as 75 more through donated tissue.

“This has been an important partnership for us,” said Dorrie Dils, CEO of Gift of Life Michigan. “I am impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and creativity these students show in educating the community and advocating for organ and tissue donation. Each new registration brings new hope to the many people waiting for a life-saving transplant.”

Since the Challenge’s inception in 2019, Michigan HOSA students have registered more than 3,100 donors. To see a complete list of schools that participated this year, visit www.golm.org/hosa.

About Gift of Life Michigan
Gift of Life Michigan is a federally designated organ procurement organization that serves the state of Michigan as the intermediary between donors, their families and hospital staff. In collaboration with Eversight, Gift of Life provides all services necessary for organ, eye and tissue donation. For more information, or to sign up on the Donor Registry, visit www.golm.org or call 866.500.5801.