This Organ Donation Awareness Month, David Foster and The David Foster Foundation want everyone to #GetVocal about the need for organ donation

Canada has one of the worst organ and tissue registration rates of all developing countries in the world despite the increasing waitlist

TORONTO, March 31, 2021 /CNW/ - Do you have two minutes to help save a life? With April being recognized as National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Month, David Foster and the David Foster Foundation are using this month to draw awareness to the constant need for support and encourages all Canadians to get #GetVocal.

The David Foster Foundation is a national non-profit Canadian charitable organization dedicated to providing financial support for non-medical expenses to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving pediatric organ transplants.

How can you get involved? There are multiple ways for you to support us during National Organ & Tissue Donation Awareness Month including 1) visit us at www.davidfosterfoundation.com to see how you can help us, 2) register to become an organ donor and share your wishes with your family, 3) Follow @DavidFosterFoundation on Facebook and Instagram for updates throughout the month, or 4) share a social post with your support by using the hashtag #GetVocal.

"This month really helps raise awareness and highlights the importance of organ and tissue registration and donation," said David Foster, Founder of The David Foster Foundation. 'Sadly, the need for registered organ donors is often overlooked but we want to let everyone know that they can help change this. It takes less than two minutes to register and together we can make a significant change in the lives of so many people."

Some interesting Canadian organ donor facts to draw awareness:

• For a developed country, Canada has one of the worst organ and tissue donor rates in the world.
• In 2020, registration was down 39% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Over 4,500 Canadians are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and each year upwards of 1,600 people are added.
• Of those on the wait-list, the number of deaths work out to roughly 5 deaths per week and 1 death every 30 hours, all which could have been avoided.
• 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives and improve the quality of life for up to 75 people.

"This is an important month for all of us to draw awareness to the alarming numbers and to the urgent need for organ donation - let's all #GetVocal," said Michael Ravenhill, Chief Executive Officer at The David Foster Foundation.

As an example of their continuing support, The David Foster Foundation was able to help a boy named Nate, who has been struggling with intestinal failure since birth, and would need to be listed for a life-saving transplant. The David Foster Foundation helped by providing funding for the unexpected financial burdens that arose for the struggling family as they awaited a donor. Happily, Nate received a multivisceral transplant in late 2020 and is still in recovery. You can read Nate's full transplant story here: www.davidfosterfoundation.com/nate. While this is a great success story, there are a number of additional families that need support.

Over the past 35 years, the David Foster Foundation has assisted over 1,300 families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants and provided much-needed dollars in direct family support. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives and improve the quality of life for up to 75 people. It takes two minutes to register, and Canadians can find out more at www.davidfosterfoundation.com.

About The David Foster Foundation
The David Foster Foundation provides financial assistance to families of children for all non-medical expenses while their child is going through the major organ transplant process. Thanks to its annual fundraising efforts and the generous support of Life Legacy Members, national partners, and donors, families receive financial support for day-to-day expenses such as mortgage/rent, car payments, travel expenses, utilities, groceries and more while their child is going through the major organ transplant process.

The success of the David Foster Foundation would not be possible without the generous support of Life Legacy Members including Jim & Sandi Treliving, AWIN Group of Dealerships, GAIN Group, Jim Pattison, TELUS, The Slaight Family Foundation, Parq Vancouver, Walter & Maria Schneider, and the Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation in Partnership with the Catalyst Capital Group. The Foundation is also supported by National Partners WestJet, Aird & Berlis LLP, National Post, ALLVISION, and Schnitzer Steel, and Community Partners Boston Pizza, Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Tom Lee Music, Gib-San Pools, and RBC Dominion Securities, The Hillyard Stephen Group. For those who wish to have a deeper involvement with the organization, there are a number of ways to contribute including the donation of RBC Rewards and Aeroplan miles, all of which will directly help families going through the organ transplant process.

The Foundation also promotes organ donor awareness and registration in both Canada and the United States. For more information, visit www.davidfosterfoundation.com.

Note to editors/producers: Michael Ravenhill, CEO of The David Foster Foundation, is available for interviews. David Foster is available for limited interviews to discuss this news release topic only and times can be arranged through contacting the media contacts below.

Cision is the exclusive newswire distributor of The David Foster Foundation.

SOURCE The David Foster Foundation