Written by Erin Kupferman, Board President
I’m thrilled to be writing to you as the new Board President at SODA: Student Organ Donation Advocates!
See the announcement from Sara, SODA's Founder and previous Board President, announcing Erin's new role.
In one of my very first Board meetings after joining SODA’s Board of Directors in 2022, we talked about how a new person is added to the transplant waiting list every 9 minutes. It was clear to me then that I had no time to waste in helping students be catalysts for organ, eye, and tissue donation in their families and communities as someone who has seen both the joy of donation after my grandfather received a transplant and the healing power of donation after a friend was a donor.
Learn more about Erin in her bio.
Over the past two years alone, I’m proud to say that SODA has done so much to support student-led organ, eye, and tissue donation advocacy thanks to Sara’s leadership, like:
Start 30+ new chapters (for 75+ total chapters today!)
Educate 106,770 people about organ, eye, and tissue donation (and 124,513 in total since 2014)
Register 5,966 people as donors (and 7,889 in total since 2014)
Collaborate with 31 Organ Procurement Organizations
Launch partnerships with national organizations, such as the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, Donate Life America, and the United Network for Organ Sharing
These accomplishments are worth celebrating–organ, eye, and tissue donation advocacy is such noble and impactful work, and we can see the change SODA is having on the organ shortage with our growing chapter network.
As we look toward the future, I plan to build on these impressive accomplishments using the same values instilled in SODA by Sara, including prioritizing best-in-class student support and deeply-rooted community partnerships. These values will guide us to 100 chapters by the end of 2025.
We’ve been able to make tremendous strides towards this goal, not only thanks to Sara but, thanks to the entire SODA National team, passionate students, caring partners, and generous financial donors. So, thank you for such a warm welcome and for helping us reduce the organ shortage for the 100,000 Americans currently waiting for a life-saving transplant.
My work with SODA and personal connections to donation have been defining for me, and I know that you likely feel the same way. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and the rest of SODA’s community and continuing to help students save and heal lives with your help.