GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Gift of Life Michigan has announced the return of Donate Life Day at the Zoo. The event will be held on August 13 from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m at the John Ball Zoo.
Donate Life Day at the Zoo will feature the Celebration of Life Trail, which honors organ, eye, and tissue recipients. There will also be community resource booths, children’s activities, face painting, and food. Podcast host Eric Zane will emcee the event, as well as interview donor families, transplant recipients, and others.
Donate Life Day at the Zoo will be held in Entry Valley, right outside the main entrance of the zoo. Admission to the zoo is not required to participate in the event. The first 250 people who register will receive a free zoo ticket and a T-shirt.
Earlier this year, Gift of Life Michigan launched the Check Your Heart campaign. The goal is to add more than one million Michigan residents to the registry. There are currently 2,400 people in Michigan who are waiting for a transplant, and more than 106,000 throughout the United States.
“We’re really hoping for a crowd,” said Gift of Life Michigan President and CEO Dorrie Dils. “Our event is such a fun way to celebrate the transplant community in West Michigan. We want to honor donors and encourage everyone who is not signed up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry to Check Your Heart.”
“This is always such an inspiring event,” said Alison Gillum, Gift of Life Michigan’s senior community relations coordinator in Grand Rapids. “It’s a great way to celebrate life and life renewed and to honor all those who have provided the gift of life.”
Donate Life at the Zoo will be held on August 13. More information about the event can be found on Gift of Life Michigan’s website.
