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Ali's Rally in the Community
UNYTS
Blood Drive
(03 February 2008)
Giving blood to remember a fallen friend was the
mission behind a blood drive held at the Newman Center on the State
University of New York's North Campus in Amherst, New York.
The blood drive, sponsored by Ali's Rally and Upstate
New York Transplant Services, helps to fulfill UNYTS' mission
to enhance and save lives through organ, tissue and blood donation.
By donating blood to UNYTS, you are making sure that
your family, friends, neighbors and other members of your community
have blood available when they need it. UNYTS' Community Blood
Service will save area hospitals as much as 30% per unit of blood.
Outside of personnel, transfusion costs are among the highest
hospitals face. In addition, the Community Blood Services is
ensuring that local donations are going to local patients in need.
UNYTS, Ali's Rally's Farszmil Reach
Semi-Finals
(07 August 2007)
 For
the second year in a row, the "Donate Life" student
education program at Upstate New York
Transplant Services (UNYTS) and Keith Farszmil, web administrator
for Ali's Rally and a Gap Inc. employee, were selected as
one of only ten semi-finalists for the third annual Gap Inc.
Founders' Award, but were unsuccessful in their quest to advance to the
final round of the competition.
Created to honor the philanthropic spirit of Gap Inc.
company founders Doris and D on
Fisher, the Founders' Award
recognizes a Gap Inc. employee's outstanding volunteer efforts by
providing a grant of up to $50,000 to a nonprofit or
non-governmental organization that supports a cause they've been
involved in. The award also provides the employee with up to 80
hours of paid time off to work with the organization.
Again this year, Farszmil worked with UNYTS' staff to identify an area
of opportunity within the "Donate Life" program. It was determined that the
funding would be used to create a portable, interactive "Donate
Life" exhibit which would be placed in high traffic areas, such as
malls or sporting events, and would be used in conjunction with the
"Donate Life" program in area high schools.
"Life Lessons" at St. Joe's
(15 March 2007)
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Randy Gerlach speaks to the
students about Alison and how she gave the ultimate
gift of life. |
Organ and tissue donation was the focus this morning
in Kenmore, New York. The students at St. Joseph's Collegiate
Institute held their student-run "Life Lessons" education campaign
for the freshman class.
The 230 freshmen had the opportunity to listen to
Randy Gerlach speak about his personal experience with organ
donation and the foundation set up in memory of his daughter.
After listening to Randy, the students got to play trivia games for Donate Life prizes.
Gerlach Family Featured in Commercial
(14 December 2006)
The Gerlach Family is featured in one of Upstate New
York Transplant Services new television commercials. The
family is featured in spot #1, "The Need."
Click here
to view the commercials.
UNYTS' "Life Lessons," Farszmil Reach
Semi-Finals
(17 July 2006)
The "Life Lessons" program at Upstate New York
Transplant Services (UNYTS) and Keith Farszmil, web administrator for Ali's
Rally and a Gap Inc. employee, made it to the semi-final round of the second annual Gap Inc.
Founders' Award, but were unsuccessful in their quest to advance to the
final round of the competition.
Created to honor the philanthropic spirit of Gap Inc.
company founders Doris and Don Fisher, the Founders' Award
recognizes a Gap Inc. employee's outstanding volunteer efforts by
providing a grant of up to $50,000 to a nonprofit or
non-governmental organization that supports a cause they've been
involved in. The award also provides the employee with up to 80
hours of paid time off to work with the organization.
Farszmil worked with UNYTS' staff to identify an area
of opportunity within UNYTS. It was determined that the
funding would be directed to the "Life Lessons" student
education program. The
funds were to be used to re-tool this very worthwhile program, to
improve UNYTS' ability to reach today’s "visual learning" students
more effectively, to maximize the outreach potential in both urban
and rural areas through technology, and increase efficiencies in
monitoring the program and measuring outcomes.
"Life Lessons" at Sacred Heart Academy
(31 March 2006)
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From left, Maria Emiliani,
Alex Leberer and Lindsay Macaluso prepare to hand out
lanyards promoting organ donation after a "Life Lessons"
assembly at Sacred Heart. |
Sacred Heart Academy's Life
Lessons campaign was a
weeklong crash course in organ and tissue donation awareness. Senior
Maura Hettich has a very strong motivation for being part of Life
Lessons. Her cousin, Alison Gerlach, died in 2003 from Moya Moya
disease "and donated her organs and tissue to help other lives,"
Maura said. Benefits in Alison's memory have raised money for
Upstate New York Transplant Services and last year "we raised the
money for education and support of the Life Lessons program. Since
my cousin touched so many lives, we want others to learn about
donation so more people can live."
Maura
and her mother, Eileen Hettich, helped the Sacred Heart Life Lessons
group create their program. Neon posters were hung in the halls.
Each morning, a Life Lessons participant read an organ donation
trivia question over the announcements, inviting girls to put their
answers in a large jar. At the end of the day, four names were
chosen to win a restaurant gift certificate. Fortune cookies and ice
cream with organ donation facts were distributed at lunch. On
Friday, the Life Lessons group held an assembly with guest speakers
followed by a Jeopardy competition between teams from each grade.
The prize was a lavish breakfast for the entire grade.
(Source: The Buffalo News,
NeXt Section, 4/5/06)
NYSHFA District 10 Golf
Tournament (08 August 2005)
 The
New York State Health Facilities Association District 10 held their
annual golf tournament on August 8, 2005, at Chestnut Hill Country
Club located in Darien Center, New York.
A special feature of this years tournament was a
putting contest to benefit Ali's Rally. For a small donation,
participants were given the opportunity to putt 5 balls to a
designated hole on the opposite side of the green. Dozens of
golfers participated with the winner, who managed to sink an amazing
3 putts, receiving 1/2 the proceeds.
Our thanks to all those who participated!
NKF Gift of Life Walk
 Ali's
Rally was well represented by a team of walkers at the annual 5K
Gift of Life Walk to benefit the National Kidney Foundation of Western New York,
which was held on Sunday, June 12, 2005 at Dunn Tire Park.
Walkers from all over the area joined this
year's honorary chairpersons Lorey Shultz (WIVB-TV Channel 4) and
Larry Norton (97 Rock) for the walk through the streets of downtown
Buffalo and along the waterfront. When walkers returned to
Dunn Tire Park, they were treated to a post walk celebration,
Chinese auction, raffles, a live band and the Independent Health
Wellness Van.
Proceeds from this year's walk, which was their most
successful yet, will be used for emergency funding for patients,
nutritional supplements, the Kidney Early Evaluation Program,
patient and family seminars and literature.
The walkers representing the Ali's Rally team raised a total of $985
in pledges for the National Kidney Foundation.
Hettich Named to UNYTS Board
of Directors
 Paul
Hettich, chief financial officer (CFO) of BryLin Hospital,
was recently named to the board of directors for Upstate New York
Transplant Services Inc., which facilitates organ and tissue
donation for the eight counties of Western New York and also
operates the Central New York Eye and Tissue Bank in Syracuse.
Hettich, of Williamsville, was previously CFO of HCA
Genesis Inc. in Watertown and has worked in the non-profit sector as
well. He received his bachelor's degree in Business
Administration from Daemen College and
is a member of the Healthcare Financial
Management Association, Western New York.
Paul and his wife Eileen helped establish the Ali's
Rally Foundation, in memory of their goddaughter.
United Way
Community Hero Award
 The
United Way of Buffalo and Erie
County presented Ali's Rally with a 2005
Community Hero Award at the third annual United Way Breakfast on
April 19, 2005. Community Hero awards are presented to those
who exemplify the essence of voluntarism and whose efforts have had
a positive impact on the lives of others.
Presented by Univera Healthcare, the Community Hero Awards – Shining
the Light on Volunteer Achievement, honors those who have impacted
the life of others through their special efforts. The Award is a
“Thank You” to the appreciated job of dedicated, committed
volunteers throughout our community. |
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