News
Celebrating our Donate Life Ambassadors with a Holiday Gathering
December 18, 2023
Donor families, transplant recipients, healthcare heroes and volunteers who we call “Ambassadors” gathered at the Sierra Donor Services (SDS) office in West Sacramento to recap an amazing year. These individuals share a connection to or passion for organ, eye and tissue donation and volunteer their time to advocate for donation by staffing events, sharing their stories and so much more.
“I want to recognize all of you for helping our organization continue to build trust in the community,” said SDS Executive Director Sean Van Slyck in his video message. “As Ambassadors you educate and share with communities that we wouldn’t be able to reach without you.”
Our celebration began with a buffet feast and continued with a recap of the year’s successes. We highlighted the many Donate Life Month proclamations from local governments and the 5K Run/Walk that kicked off our partnership with the Sacramento Kings.
| Media highlights: National Donor Day (CBS13)Multicultural Donor Awareness (Fox40)Donor Dash 5K (Good Day Sacramento) |
“I’m most proud of how our group has grown this year,” said SDS Senior External Affairs Coordinator Kyla Aquino Irving. “We went from an Ambassador meeting of just 6 people in May to a bustling 34 people in August!”
We credit our increase in Ambassadors to several factors. The SDS External Affairs team has reached out to our veteran Ambassadors, many who had not participated in any events since the pandemic, and have partnered with 3 ethnic nursing associations: the California Capitol National Black Nurses Association (CCBNA), the Philippine Nurses Association of America – CA Capital Chapter (PNAC3) and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN)– Sacramento.
The celebration continued with a sparkling cider toast, games and a white elephant gift exchange. Ambassadors received gifts of appreciation (a hot cocoa kit with socks and a holiday ornament) that shared our sentiments of gratitude with each festive box.
Learn more about becoming an Ambassador: https://sierradonor.org/get-involved/become-an-ambassador/
Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate. We appreciate all of you and look forward to what the next year will hold!
About Sierra Donor Services
Sierra Donor Services (SDS) serves nearly three million people in Northern California and Northern Nevada. We are an exceptional team of professionals dedicated to saving and improving lives by connecting organ and tissue donation to the patients who need them. We strive to extend the reach of each generous donor’s gift to those who are always profoundly grateful for them.