TRIO

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**** Transplant Recipients Group- join at www.litrio.org

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The Long Island TRIO Singers hit a home run for Organ Donation Awareness on August 17, 2011 at the Ducks game where they performed our nation's National Anthem. There was an announcement at the beginning of the game that described the need to save lives with Organ Donation.

The Singers dedicated the performance to Sue Tietjen who had conducted the LI TRIO Singers for the past seven years at all of our performances where we worked and sang for Organ Donation Awareness. Our friend and colleague Sue Tietjen passed away last month and she is sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to George and his family at this time.

Thank you to Christine Burki who conducted the LI TRIO Singers and did a professional job while helping to dedicate the special performance to Sue. The Ducks also made additional announcements about TRIO and our Organ Donation Outreach and Awareness efforts during the fourth inning of the baseball game.

Our chapter’s school speakers reached over 15,000 students and have a full itinerary ahead for this fall. We are speaking in public and private high schools as well as colleges, universities, and hospitals.

Something new and upgraded: This year, our chapter will have our Holiday Party at the beautiful and elegant Leonard’s La Dolce Vita of Great Neck. We will have Filet Mignon, a full course sit-down dinner served, and several other menu choices and look forward to another wonderful event on December 4, 2011.

Our LI TRIO Meeting: September 14, 2011 7:30 PM has a special program regarding Cardiac Transplantation. We made a point of personally inviting Heart Transplant Recipients to our meeting. We will have coffee and homemade cookies personally baked by our friend and LI TRIO member Beth Chapman.

Our meetings are held at 145 Community Drive, Manhasset NY.

I’m also pleased to announce the re-dedication of our “Donor Rose Garden” in Eisenhower Park on Long Island. Last year we had between 250 and 300 people attend this very special event.

When: Long Island TRIO’s most cherished event will be held on September 17, 2011 12 Noon-2 PM

Where: Please join LI TRIO and NYODN in honoring and thanking Donors and Donor Families as we re-dedicate our “Long Island TRIO Donor Rose Garden” to Donors and Donor Families in a ceremony being held on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 12 Noon. The Donor Rose Garden is located in Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY in Nassau County- adjacent to the Women’s Sports Pavilion-Parking Field 6/6A.

Donors and Donor families are indeed our heroes. Please be our guest and join us at this special event. I hope to personally welcome you on Saturday, 17 September.

At this time, I would like to continue to offer information with respect to special needs Prescription Drug Resources. Some drug companies have special programs for people who do not have insurance coverage for medications and cannot afford their own. To get a list of these companies and what they require, please visit www.helpingpatients.org or call (202) 835-3400.

You can also write to Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association 1100 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005.

The Together RX Access Card may help as well. The card can help uninsured patients get a 25-40% discount on over 275 prescription drugs. Visit www.togetherrxaccess.com or call (800) 444-4106. Our chapter’s volunteers will also offer specific discount cards again in the coming weeks just as we have done in the past. I hope these can be of help to as many people as possible.

Our chapter’s specific Legislative Initiatives

At the New York State level:

Lauren's Law would require that the organ-donor question on a driver's license form be filled out in order for the application to be processed. Currently, that is voluntary.

Lauren, a member of Long Island TRIO aspires to be a cardiologist. She had a virus that attacked her heart. "Two years ago, I was clinging to life, not knowing what the next day would bring, desperately hoping to live another day," she said Tuesday. "I was one of the lucky ones. I received a heart transplant." Lauren and her parents are members of Long Island TRIO and Lauren will be one of the speakers at our Donor Rose Garden Event. Lauren and her parents, Jeanne and David Shields, met Tuesday with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County. The Senate Transportation Committee passed the bill Tuesday.

Skelos spokesman Scott Reif said Senate Republicans would review the legislation. They did. The Senate passed the bill with flying color! However, the bill did make it out of the Assembly. Long Island TRIO is hard at work speaking with Members of the Assembly and explaining to them just how important this bill is and how it will save lives

Michael Sosna, President

TRIO-Long Island chapter

www.litrio.org

email: mike@sosproductions.com

TRIO Chapter Activity Report

Long Island Chapter - Fall 2011