Written by Nicole Nidea, Program Manager
Student Advocacy Saves Lives
As you probably know by now, student advocacy makes a difference. To date, passionate students involved with SODA have educated over 12,000 students about organ donation and registered over 1,300 students as organ donors. The conversations that students have on their high school and college campuses not only make tangible impacts on education and registration, but leave lasting ripple effects that encourage others to say “yes” to organ donation and save lives.
SODA Meets Students Where They’re At
Regardless of how students want to get involved, SODA is here to support them. In particular, SODA offers both “low” and “high” commitment options. Want to host an event with another club on campus? We’ve got you covered! Want to start a chapter and rally your community to get involved? We’ve also got you covered!
Students Can Host Events with SODA
Many students are involved with lots of organizations on their high school or college campus. SODA wants to support students to host events. Whether you want to plan an all-school assembly, bring in an organ recipient to speak at your Key Club or HOSA chapter, or host an organ donation registration drive during lunch, SODA is here to support you!
Host an event today! Visit sodanational.org/students.
Students Can Start a Chapter with SODA
For many students, organ donation is their passion and they are ready to dive into making an impact. Starting a chapter is the perfect choice for a student who is ready to commit to organ donation advocacy and rally their community around the cause!
Start a chapter today! Visit sodanational.org/students.
Follow the chart to find out which option is best for you!
Every Student is Connected with their OPO
Once a student lets us know that they’re interested in becoming an organ donation advocate, we ensure they are connected with the community outreach team at their local OPO. In the partnership between SODA and OPOs, SODA serves as the “student expert” and OPOs serve as the “organ donation expert”.
SODA Provides All Students Comprehensive Support
Our goal is to make organ donation advocacy as seamless and accessible for students as possible. Therefore, we provide students with many resources, all for free!
SODA-branded “swag” - t-shirts, tablecloths, stickers, buttons, and Lifesaver candy are a few of our favorites.
Online resources - check them out here.
Access to other students - all members of SODA chapters can join SODA’s Slack community.
Mentoring - past student leaders are eager to answer your questions and support you in your organ donation advocacy journey
TLDR: SODA is launching their Event Fund to support students who want to advocate for organ and tissue donation but only have a few hours to do so. To find out if hosting a one-time event is best for you and apply for funding, visit sodanational.org/students!