Show for Hope #4 - A Sitar Concert

Download the poster for the event

GoodHearts is sponsoring the Show for Hope #4 featuring Ustad Narinder Narula.

A Show for Hope #4 - A Sitar Concert

Featuring: Ustad Narinder Narula
Accompanied by: Anita Mittal
Tabla: Saranjot Singh

Date: September 14, 2013
Location: Stencil Hall at Taylor College, 11525 - 23 Avenue
Doors Open: 7 PM
Programme: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $20

For more information please call Suresh: 780.988.0244

2nd Chance Trail Ride - Update

The 2nd Chance Trail Ride took place on May 11, 2013 and was a huge success. Jackie, our president, and Silvio attended the event. We would like to thank everyone who was involved in the event for their hard work. We are very grateful that the 2nd Chance Trail Ride chose to raise money this year for the GoodHearts Foundation, and would like to thank them for the $55,000 they have raised for us. The money will be used for transplant housing at the Galen Lofts, where we hope to rent a third suite sometime this fall.

Here is what Jackie and Silvio had to say about the event:

Jackie making a presentation at the dinner

Silvio and I went to Lindbergh to take part in the 2nd Chance Trail Ride. 162 trail riders and over 400 people for dinner! It was an amazing day with incredible people. This year the money they raised was donated to GoodHearts. The final tally isn't in but it will be well in excess of $25,000. It was heartwarming to see so many people supporting organ and tissue donation.

- Jackie

Like Jackie, I was tremendously impressed by the turnout at Saturday's 2nd Chance Trail Ride, and all the hard work put into the event by Moe and Fay Irvine, their family members of the committee.

- Silvio

And a few more photos of the event:


The 2nd Chance Trail Ride crew.




On the trail




Body Worlds and The Cycle of Life - Calling all Volunteers

GoodHearts Foundation offers the following for your information.  We don't have a copy of the schedule for download, so if you are interested in volunteering please contact Jennifer so she may provide you with one.

--------------------

Calling All Volunteers!!

Did you know that.....?

v  More than 700 Albertans need a life-saving organ transplant?

v  Many more are waiting for a tissue transplant to dramatically improve their lives?

v  Alberta has one of the lowest donor rates in the country?

v  Almost 25% of the people waiting for a transplant will die before a donor is found?

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.   YOU CAN HELP US CHANGE THOSE NUMBERS.

We are a local group called the Tissue and Organ Donation Awareness Committee.  We are a group of organizations committed to raising public awareness and support of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.  We include: 

·      University of Alberta Hospital Transplant Program

·      Canadian Transplant Association - Alberta

·      Kidney Foundation of Canada - Northern Alberta

·      HOPE (Human Organ Procurement and Exchange)

·      International Transplant Nurses Society - Alberta

·      The Liver Foundation

·      Goodhearts Foundation

·      The Lung Association

This year we are very proud to partner with Telus World of Science to bring our message to the people of Alberta during the fabulous Body Worlds and The Cycle of Life exhibit May through the summer.   Throughout the months of the exhibit we will be providing student presentations, interactive display tables, Friday-night lecture series and more.  But we need more partners....people like you.  You have a chance to really make a difference for the hundreds of Albertans and, in fact, the thousands of Canadians waiting for a transplant.

If you can spare just a little time to man a display table, then we need your help.  We’re looking for someone who can commit to at least one 3-hour shift any day of the week between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.  If you’re able to help with more than one shift....EVEN BETTER.  The more volunteers we have, and the more time they can offer, the more shifts we can cover over the 5 months.  

Volunteer Orientation sessions will be held on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Telus World of Science to make sure you have all the information you need to feel comfortable sharing our message of organ donation awareness.  Please reply immediately to Jennifer Holman (see below) if you plan to attend.  We will repeat the Orientation classes for anyone volunteering later in the season who cannot attend one of the sessions in May.  On the next page, you’ll see a timetable; simply fill in the shift(s) you can volunteer for on the day(s) and the week(s) that work best for you.

Send in your completed timetable to:

E-mail:  jennifer.holman@albertahealthservices .ca

FAX:       780-407-7534 (attention Jennifer Holman)

News Release - New legislation to improve organ and tissue donation rates

We thought the following news release from the Government of Alberta would be of interest to our members and offer it for your information.  We welcome any feedback you may have.

------------------

New legislation to improve organ and tissue donation rates

The Redford government is taking action to improve Alberta’s organ and tissue donation rates and lower transplant wait times across the country, in an effort to save and improve more lives.

The government will bring forward a motion tonight to adopt Private Member’s Bill, the Human Tissue and Organ Donation Amendment Act, 2013 — or Bill 207 — as a government bill.

“Our government is thrilled to adopt this good idea — I know this legislation will give us more tools to increase donation rates and save lives,” said Premier Alison Redford. “We need to encourage more Albertans to consider becoming an organ donor and I am absolutely convinced that Bill 207 will set the stage for achieving that legacy in our province.”

The Human Tissue and Organ Donation Amendment Act will establish one agency to co-ordinate organ and tissue donation activities in Alberta, including work to increase public awareness. This agency will report to the Minister of Health.  The legislation also proposes the creation of an organ and tissue consent-to-donate registry. Albertans who are willing to donate their organs and/or tissue will be able to provide online consent.

“We believe that by making it easier for people to register their intent to donate and by raising awareness of the need, we can dramatically increase organ and tissue donations in our province,” said Fred Horne, Minister of Health. “I thank Len Webber for his leadership in bringing this legislation forward as a Private Member’s Bill. Because it is of such vital importance, we want to adopt it as a government bill.”

“I am proud that this bill is moving forward with the government’s support,” said Len Webber, MLA for Calgary-Foothills and sponsor of the original Private Member’s Bill. “This legislation is going to a have a positive impact on organ and tissue donor rates, and ultimately many lives will be saved.”

Alberta lags behind other provinces in donation rates for organs and tissues. The province’s deceased organ donation rate was 16-17 donors per million population from 1995 to 2005; by 2011, the rate had dropped to 5-7 donors per million population. This compares to 16.3 donors per million population in Ontario and 11.8 donors per million population in British Columbia in 2011.

According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information for 2011, there were 324 Albertans actively waiting for a kidney transplant, 94 Albertans actively waiting for a liver transplant, 57 Albertans actively waiting for either a single or a double lung transplant, and 17 Albertans actively waiting for a heart transplant. Alberta has one of Canada’s highest incidences of diabetes, which is a leading cause of kidney failure requiring dialysis.

Our government was elected to keep building Alberta, to live within its means and to fight to open new markets for Alberta’s resources. We will continue to deliver the responsible change Albertans voted for.

2013 Casino - Update

Thanks to the 28 volunteers who came out for our 2013 GoodHearts casino it was a success. The casino was held April 1 and 2 of this year at the Pure Canadian Gaming casino on Argyll.  The pay-out to the charitable organization working the casinos has averaged $75,000, but we will not know the exact amount until August. We will provide an update once more information becomes available.

Holding the casino immediately after Easter made it difficult to find volunteers, however our board member Barb Foxall came to the rescue by connecting GoodHearts with a dedicated group of volunteers who staff casinos for not-for-profit groups.

Thank-you cards were sent to all the volunteers who staffed the GoodHearts casino.

If you would like to help the GoodHearts Foundation as a volunteer at one of our fundraising events please contact us.

Information on Private Member's Bill 207

We thought the following article from the Alberta Donates LIFE Coalition would be of interest to our members and offer it for your information.  We welcome any feedback you may have.

------------------

On Thursday March 21, 2013, MLA Len Webber introduced Private Member's Bill 207 proposing the creation of an Agency to co-ordinate all Provincial organ and tissue donation issues.

Let the Government of Alberta know you would like the government to adopt its provisions and to implement Bill 207 as quickly as possible.

Citizen action NOW is critical.

THE PROBLEM:

Donation Rates Dropping and Demand is Rising:  “Alberta, while a world leader in transplant medicine, has one of the lowest rates of organ and tissue donation in the country” said Dr. Atul Humar, Director, Alberta Transplant Institute.  Over the past decade Alberta's rates of donation have declined from 17/million to 8.9/million.

Waiting in Vain:   In the past two years, 176 Albertans have died while waiting for a life saving organ transplant.

Bill 207 calling for a well-funded, accountable provincial organ donation agency is timely and represents a solution that has worked well in other provinces.

THE SOLUTION:

Build a Bridge:  We already know that transplantation provides a medical solution for many.  What we need is to build an institutional bridge between the Albertans who support organ donation with the people who need one.  This can be accomplished through the Government by:

1. Establish a Provincial Agency to coordinate, promote and educate on the issue of organ donation:  Alberta does not yet have a central provincial agency to manage organ donation.  Ontario, for example, created the Trillium Gift of Life Foundation and last year recorded a 12% increase in donation, due in large part to the efforts of the Foundation.


2. Establish an ongoing public awareness campaign:   Alberta's rates of donation have dropped from 17/million a decade ago to less than half of that, due in part to the lack of a sustained public awareness campaign.  The first time a family considers organ donation should not be in the middle of a traumatic death - it should be part of regular life planning that individuals discuss with their families and make their wishes known ahead of time.


3. Establish an electronic registry:   Once an individual makes the decision to be willing to be a donor, an electronic registry makes the collection and dissemination of that information much more efficient and available in a timely manner.   Additionally, when the time comes that families are asked for consent, they can be asked if they wish to honour their loved ones wishes, removing from them the emotional burden of decision making.   

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• Use Your Voice!  One voice joined together with many makes the difference – ACT QUICKLY.   Email the Minister of Health Fred Horne and Premier Alison Redford to tell them you support Bill 207: (Suggested text – Every 5 days an Albertan dies waiting for a life saving “gift of Life” organ transplant.  I ask the Government to adopt the provisions of Bill 207 and fully implement the Bill as quickly as possible)
• Contact your local MLA and urge them to support the implementation of Bill 207
• Like the Facebook page: Support Alberta Organ Donation ; ask your friends to join you in action
• Contact your local media outlet/write Letter to Editor
• Forward this article on to friends and family and ask that they join you in action

Tipping Point

It's so close.  We know what the challenges are.  We know what the solutions are.  We have the attention of the Legislature.  We just need your support to make sure the Government acts quickly to fully implement Bill 207.

Update - Website

GoodHearts Facebook Page reaches 30 Likes

Facebook likes according to city 

Over the past year we here at the GoodHearts Foundation have been working to update our web presence, including this brand new website, a page over at Facebook and a Twitter account. In a recent article in our newsletter (and posted to this website) we outlined some of the steps we had taken to improve our website, and asked everyone to take some time to visit us online.

I'm happy to announce our Facebook page has recently reached 30 likes. This allows us to access statistics on visitors to our page. I've posted a few graphics illustrating who likes our Facebook page according to where they live, gender and age.




Facebook likes according to Gender and age



Visitors to our website
according to country

Thank you to everyone who has found and liked us on Facebook.  If you belive in GoodHearts please pass along our website and Facebook page so others can join.

Our new website is hosted by blogger who have always offered visitor statistics as part of the service. So for a bit of added interest, I've added a map of visitors to this website according to country.

Note:  Please click any of the graphs to view the larger version.