Like everything else this year, the Gift of Life HOSA Challenge was a little different than it has been in the past.
The third annual challenge, which pits future health professionals – from different Health Occupation Students of America chapters across the state – against one another in a friendly competition to register new organ and tissue donors, moved from school cafeterias and common meeting places to the online realm in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual HOSA challenge took place from Nov. 3 to Nov 20, with 20 different chapters taking part. During the three-week period, students completed virtual activities and events designed to raise awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation and urge their peers to sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. In the end, nearly 400 donors were added to the registry, which means HOSA students have encouraged more than 2,500 people to sign up as organ and tissue donors in the three years Gift of Life has partnered with them on the HOSA challenge.
Thanks to the dozens of young people who took part in the challenge this year, who found new ways to reach their peers and get involved. Thanks, too, to everybody who listened and to those who signed up. You are all doing your part to offer hope and healing to the thousands of people waiting for a life-saving or life-changing organ.
You can read more here.