Miracles are possible.
Former Key Club Governor Committed
to Raising Organ Donation Awareness
Hilary Blake has always been an achiever and several years ago when she was a candidate for Key Club Governor for Texas-Oklahoma, she instantly knew what her platform would be -- organ donation awareness.
“When deciding what my ‘cause’ would be, it was really simple,” Blake explained. “I watched a miracle unfold again and again as my grandfather survived not one, but five, life-saving transplants. Miracles are truly possible, but I needed to do something to get kids my age motivated about organ donation.”
Currently, Hilary Blake is a junior at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, majoring in Economics and Psychology. As a high school student in Grapevine, Texas, she was very active in her local Key Club and eventually was elected Key Club Governor for Texas-Oklahoma.
| “I love the idea that a penny can make a difference,” Blake said. “Even a poor college student can spare a piece of copper – I’ve just got to get my campus organized and motivated.” |
Kiwanis International’s Key Club is the nation’s oldest and largest service program for high school students. The mission of Key Club is to teach leadership through serving others. Because of her grandfather’s experiences with organ transplantation, Blake partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to offer Key Clubs in her district the opportunity to educate the public about organ, tissue and marrow donation by getting involved with her project, “Roping in the Donors.”
Upon becoming Key Club Governor for Texas-Oklahoma, Blake addressed her peers and told them this project would not require Key Clubs to spend or raise money. “I basically told everyone that any Key Club, whether it had 8 members or 800 members, could participate simply by handing out organ donation information and organ donor cards. I wanted everyone to understand that miracles are possible and that each of us can help give the most precious gift … the gift of life.”
Obviously, Blake’s words, and her grandfather’s story, were powerful. Her compelling plea resulted in 320 Key Clubs responding to her challenge and in less than one year’s time, more than a quarter of a million donor cards were distributed through the Key Club network.
“Hilary Blake is a shining example of one person working hard to touch over 250,000 lives in an effort to address the critical shortage of organs in the United States,” said Rick Lofgren, CFRE, President of COTA. “More than 90,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for organ transplants. And sadly, each day 18 people die waiting for an organ.”
“Hilary’s ‘Roping in the Donors’ project undoubtedly shows us that miracles are possible and that one person can truly make a life-saving difference,” said Lofgren.
Because Hilary is in college, she is no longer able to be a Key Club member. But as a Resident Assistant in her DePauw University dormitory, and as the President of the DePauw Entrepreneur Club, Blake has decided to continue to get her fellow college students involved in organ donor awareness.
“My leadership responsibilities with the Texas-Oklahoma Key Club and the tremendous results of my Governor’s project have shown me that I can make a difference and I am going to continue to do so,” said Blake. “Long term, I want to pursue a law degree in hopes of becoming a judge because I want to be able to help change laws in an effort to protect and empower people.”
Blake has decided that at the college leadership level, she will partner with COTA once again – but this time to raise funds through the “One Million Miracles” initiative just getting underway nationwide.
“I love the idea that a penny can make a difference,” Blake said. “Even a poor college student can spare a piece of copper – I’ve just got to get my campus organized and motivated.”
Given her track record, Hilary Blake undoubtedly will.
Miracles are possible. One transplant recipient + one loving granddaughter + 320 Key Clubs = 250,000 donor cards distributed in 365 days.