DEMOREST, GA – On New Year’s Day, Habersham County will be represented in the 126th Rose Parade® in Pasadena, California. Habersham Medical Center’s President and CEO Jerry Wise signed a glass vial that will hold a rose used to decorate the Donate Life float.
Wise was one of more than 1,000 health system and hospital CEOs nationwide, who was offered the opportunity to handwrite a message on behalf of their institutions by members of the Association of Organ Procurement Organization and the Eye Bank Association of America with support from the American Hospital Association. “It was an honor to be included in this national movement to decorate the Donate Life float and raise awareness of the importance of organ donation,” says Wise. “During this season of giving, the float is a reminder of the most selfless gift of all – the gift of life.”
Decorated with thousands of flowers, the Donate Life float theme is “The Never-Ending Story,” and will feature 60 beautiful butterflies emerging from an open book. The butterflies – one for every person who can be saved by a deceased organ donor – will ascend above 72 books adorned with portraits of deceased donors.
Thirty transplant recipients will be riding on the float, and living organ donors will walk alongside the float. It is estimated that 40 million viewers will watch the Rose Parade which will begin at 8 a.m. (PST) on January 1, 2015. For information on the Donate Life float, visit www.donatelifefloat.org.
