IT TAKES A TEAM
Without this team of students who are dedicated to raising awareness about the need for organ and tissue donation, Laurier Gift of Life would not be possible.
Click through the profiles below to get to know each member of LGL!
Rebecca Salehi
President
Program: Health Sciences
Year: 3rd
I am an organ and tissue donation advocate, I have always encouraged my peers to ‘be a donor’. Through doing this, I realized there was a general lack of awareness around donation. I found that a large number of people had either:
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Never thought about donating or registering to be a donor, or
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Were misinformed about donation and the donation process.
I started Laurier Gift of Life to spread awareness and correct misinformation about organ and tissue donation as well as to encourage donor registration across the Laurier campus and beyond. I am doing this on behalf of the 1,600+ people in our province waiting for organ transplants and the thousands more waiting for tissue transplants.
Gracy Patel
Vice President
Program: Psychology and Neuroscience
Year: 3rd
I joined LGL because I have a passion for spreading awareness about organ and tissue donation. I hope to work together with the team and community to help reduce the stigma against donating and spread the light on the several benefits that come from this act of kindness.
Ranya Salim
VP of Events
Program: Health Sciences
Year: 4th
After learning about LGL, I realized how serious the shortage of organ donors is in Ontario. I was inspired to raise awareness about this situation and encourage people to realize that by promptly signing up to be an organ donor, they can save countless lives. Through LGL, we can assist individuals who are in critical need of assistance and provide them with the gift of life.
Tim Vittanachchi
VP of Marketing
Program: Business Administration
Year: 3rd
I feel that awareness about organ donation is severely lacking considering how many lives it can deeply impact or even it can save. Over 90 percent of Canadians support organ donation, but only 32 percent are registered as donors. I want to play whatever small part I can to increase that number.
Aizah Ijaz
Director of Marketing
Program: Health Sciences
Year: 2nd
I’m Aizah, the Director of Marketing for Laurier Gift of Life this academic year! As a Health Sciences major, the topic of organ donation and transplantation is highly interesting to me. I know about the importance of organ donation and its life-saving potential and want to help create awareness in the university community. I want to do my part in addressing concerns and making knowledge easily accessible regarding this pressing issue. Saving lives only takes a few minutes!
Jackie Carcao
VP of Finance
Program: Health Sciences
Year: 2nd
I’m in my second year of Honours Health Sciences, and this is my second year involved with Laurier Gift of Life. Being born with only one kidney, my passion for organ and tissue donation started at a young age. I have always had great respect for those who are registered as organ and tissue donors, because of how much it could improve the quality of life of those in need. I look forward to raising awareness about the need for donors through my position this year!
Victoria Freitas
Outreach Coordinator
Program: Business Administration
Year: 4th
Throughout my life, I was never really familiar with the impact that organ and tissue donation had on the lives of millions. In 2018 when I heard about the Humboldt Broncos crash I also learned about the hero was Logan Boulet. Hearing Logan Boulet's story and how he was an organ donor and saved so many lives helped me become aware of just how powerful organ donation is. The main reason I joined this is that I am really passionate about organ donation and believe that bringing awareness to the issue will potentially save the lives of millions.
Ayesha Rafi
VP of Web Development
Program: Biology, minor in Chemistry
Year: 3rd
I wanted to join Laurier Gift of Life to make a change in my community. I believe that there is a lot of stigma around organ and tissue donations because people are misinformed. By joining this club, I am able to interact and grow alongside like-minded individuals who also understand the importance of organ and tissue donations.
With facts and research, I believe that Laurier Gift of Life does a great job at promoting donations and bringing change to Laurier as a whole!