Written by Sophia Renner, Engagement Manger
SODA's Campus Challenge brought together student advocates from high school, college, and graduate school campuses nationwide, and the excitement was truly infectious. Their collective goal? To advocate for organ, eye, and tissue donation and celebrate registered donors. 🏆🎉
The Campus Challenge commenced on September 20th, 2023, and concluded on November 17th, 2023. During this period, twenty student-led teams from high schools, colleges, and graduate schools—comprising both existing SODA chapters and new student advocates—organized and participated in various point-winning activities. These activities included donor registration drives, educational events, volunteering with their local Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), and raising awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation on social media.
Check out the comprehensive list of point-winning activities here.
These students aspired to win the grand prize of $500 and exclusive merchandise from SODA National by showcasing their school spirit, all while raising awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation.
The 2023 SODA Campus Challenge competitors were:
Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Amarillo High School
Carmel High School
Columbia City High School
George Mason University
Greenville High School
Key West High School
Mason County High School
Northeastern University
Pentucket Regional High School
Strawberry Crest High School
University of Alabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
University of Virginia
University School of Milwaukee
Warsaw Community High School
Warwick High School
West Virginia University
In total, these twenty teams educated 20,511 people about organ, eye, and tissue donation, and they didn't stop there! They also successfully registered 462 people as donors. Let's give a round of applause to these incredible teams for making a difference in the lives of countless individuals waiting for a second chance at life.
After two months of unwavering commitment and creative advocacy work, we're thrilled to announce and celebrate the winners of SODA’s first-ever Campus Challenge! Drum roll please… 🥁🥁🥁
The winning high school team is Warsaw Community High School!
SODA at Warsaw Community High School hosted an organ donation training with Indiana Donor Network, earning 300 points for attendance and educating 30 students. Their advocacy extended to social media, where multiple posts dispelled myths and misconceptions about organ donation on Instagram and TikTok, amassing points and reaching an impressive audience—1,300 and 1,500 individuals educated in separate posts. Additionally, the chapter collaborated with an on-campus blood drive, educating 70 attendees about organ, eye, and tissue donation. These diverse initiatives truly showcase the team's dedication to raising awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation. Congratulations!
The college team in first place is the University of Alabama!
SODA at the University of Alabama orchestrated a Registration Drive Competition for their school’s Greek Life Community during Homecoming Week. They effectively promoted the event on social media and registered an impressive 349 donors through personalized Registerme.org campaigns. Great work!
The winning Graduate School team is the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine!
SODA at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine organized a discussion group with the mother of a donor and a recipient. The session centered on their experiences with organ donation, their motivations for advocacy, and insights on how future physicians can enhance patient support and advocacy efforts. Well done!
Wave those foam fingers high because the award for registering the most donors goes to none other than the University of Alabama! They successfully registered 349 donors during the Campus Challenge.
Let's raise a toast (or a soda 😉) to these fantastic students as they’ve shown school spirit like never before! They've proven that when it comes to saving lives, they're the real MVPs.
The Campus Challenge was an absolute blast, and we couldn't have pulled it off without our amazing Campus Challenge Committee members—Kim Charles, Logan Miller, and Craig Smith.
We also owe a huge shoutout to our sponsors: the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), Hearts for Russ, Second Chance Fundraising, and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
The SODA National team is so appreciative of the vital role you played in our first-ever Campus Challenge, supporting both school spirit and organ donation advocacy. Your contribution is greatly appreciated, thank you!
As we reflect on the success of the Campus Challenge, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed. Whether you were a committee member, a sponsor, or one of our incredible student participants, your role was pivotal. Together, we've celebrated school spirit and advocated for organ, eye, and tissue donation, contributing to saving lives. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey!