Nineteen donors did not live beyond their teens, and another 20 died before age 30. Yet all had an enduring impact on those whose need for live-saving and healing organ and tissue donations depended on the generosity of others. Their portraits will adorn colorful kites on Donate Life’s float – themed Seize the Day! – as a tribute to their legacies and the hopes they bring to those in need of transplants.

Donate Life’s 60 floragraph honorees and 30 riders, including three honorary walkers, honor all donors and the everyday dreams they make possible through the gift of life. In addition, thousands of organ, eye and tissue donors nationwide will be remembered with roses dedicated by loved ones; each rose bears a vial with a personal message of love, hope and remembrance.

“We will celebrate the lives of each donor during both the creation of the donor’s floragraph and on New Year’s Day when the portraits shine their light on tens of millions of Rose Parade spectators and television viewers,” said Bryan Stewart, chairman of the Donate Life float committee and vice president of communications at OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ and tissue recovery organization serving the greater Los Angeles area.

The floragraphs will be decorated before Christmas in Pasadena, with about a third of the portraits completed by the family members themselves. For those families who are saving their trip to attend the Rose Parade, local Donate Life Ambassador volunteers will have the honor of decorating on the families’ behalf.

Dozens of these portraits will be partially decorated in Pasadena so they can be completed by the family members at local decorating events in their hometowns. These events are typically held at locations significant to the honoree’s life: schools, houses of worship, hospitals where the donation occurred, and the like. “These local events make it possible for families across the U.S. to participate in bringing these deeply meaningful portraits to life,” Stewart added. “We are grateful to the many sponsors who support the families by organizing the local decorating events and sending them to the Rose Parade to honor their loved ones.”

Some of the floragraphs will float above riders who are connected to them in meaningful ways. Nineteen-year-old Jim McCall of Tucson, Ariz., never recovered after his motorcycle was involved in a car accident. His liver, kidney, heart valves, corneas and other tissues went on to restore and heal others. This year, Jim’s sister, Meredith, received the life-saving gift of a pancreas and kidney after being insulin-dependent most of her life. She will ride proudly with her brother’s portrait above her.

Jermiah Dosser of Osage, Iowa, was only 24 when he was killed by a truck speeding through a red light. Following his donation of tissue and corneas, his mother Jody Dosser was inspired to champion a law that increases penalties for red-light violations. Jody will ride the Donate Life float underneath her beloved son’s portrait on New Year’s Day.

When Mia Adriano passed away at age 42, one of her tendons went to her twin sister, Irene Atencio of Pasadena, Calif., to help repair a torn knee ligament. “I am forever grateful for this wonderful gift. A part of Mia will always be in me, growing into my own bone,” said Irene, who will ride on this year’s Donate Life float with the portrait of her twin, Mia.

Eighteen-year-old Shannon Eckert of Mechanicsburg, Penn., never dreamed that her heart would one day save young Jessica Melore of New York, N.Y., who will also ride the float with her donor’s portrait. “It’s an honor for me to ride in Shannon’s memory,” Jessica declared. “She was only a year older than me when she passed, and I often think about how we were in the same stage of life when our lives became connected. I try to take the best possible care of my heart because I feel like I’m living for both of us.”

Several floragraphs depict those who died in service. Among these is Ben Kopp of Rosemount, Minn., who was deployed twice to Iraq before going to Afghanistan in May 2009. During a firefight with the Taliban, he saved six of his fellow Rangers with the 3/75th Battalion before being shot in the leg. He never recovered from the blood loss and passed away at age 21. Ben’s decision to be an organ donor was influenced by the death of his uncle, J.T. Burud of St. Louis Park, Minn., who died six years before Ben was born. J.T. was an organ donor, and his life story was shared with Ben from a young age. Floral portraits of both J.T. and his nephew will be fixtures on the Donate Life float.

On June 29, 2010, Tampa, Fla. police officers David Curtis and Jeff Kocab were shot and killed while attempting to make an arrest during a routine traffic stop. Both will be honored with portraits positioned side-by-side as they were as partners. Another police officer, Michael Briggs, served the people of Manchester, N.H. On Oct. 16, 2006, 35-year-old Mike was shot in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call. In keeping with his devotion to service and the community, Michael’s family chose to honor his legacy by donating his organs and allowing him to continue to make a difference in people’s lives.

The stories of children who died and left a legacy at such a young age draw some of the deepest emotions. Among these is five-year-old Katya TodescoKatya Todesco of Simi Valley, Calif., whose sudden death stands in stark contrast to her sunny disposition. Jacob Campbell of Horseheads, N.Y., was only 12 weeks old when he passed away in his crib; his gifts of organs and corneas leant meaning to his own brief life. Joseph Quiambao of Albuquerque, N.M., was only a few weeks older than Jacob when he succumbed, but his family also made the life-affirming decision to donate his organs so that other children could live.

One story of strength and compassion that stands out among the rest is that of Cora Brittany Hill of Orlando, Fla., who had suffered from cystic fibrosis all of her life. She received a lung transplant that within two years could not be sustained. After 24 hospitalizations, she became too weak to receive another transplant. In pain and dependent on a ventilator to breathe, Cora insisted that life-sustaining treatment be withdrawn Christmas Eve so that the donation of her kidneys could be a Christmas gift to others. Brittany died on December 24, 2009, at age 22.

More than 28,000 lives are saved each year in the U.S. through the gift of organ donation, giving hope to the more than 108,000 people awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. In addition, every year hundreds of thousands of people need donated corneas and tissue to prevent or cure blindness, heal burns or save limbs.

The 2011 Donate Life float will also feature 30 riders and walkers, some of whom are mentioned above, who have their own important stories to tell. In addition, donors and those connected to donation will be honored in a garden of thousands of roses dedicated through the Donate Life Family Circle program, presented by the Dignity Memorial network. The public is invited to participate by going to the Donate Life float website.

Coordinated by Donate Life America member OneLegacy, the national Donate Life float campaign is supported by approximately 60 official partners from coast to coast, including organ and tissue recovery organizations, tissue banks, state donor registries, transplant centers and affiliated organizations. Joining OneLegacy as top-level benefactors are Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a fourth-year sponsor of five float riders through the "Ride of a Lifetime" contest and supporter of 1,000 volunteer decorators; the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB); The Ann & George Lopez Foundation; the Dignity Memorial® network, North America's largest network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers and sponsor of four floragraphs; Donate Life America; and UNOS and the National Donor Memorial. All float partners encourage parade viewers to save lives by registering in their states to be organ, eye and tissue donors and donating blood in their communities.

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts the Rose Parade® presented by Honda, Rose Bowl Game® and various associated events. The 122nd Rose Parade presented by Honda, themed Building Dreams, Friendships & Memories, will take place Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011, at 8 a.m. (PST) featuring majestic floral floats, high-stepping equestrian units and spirited marching bands. Following the parade, the 97th Rose Bowl Game will kick off at 2:10 p.m. and feature an exciting match-up between two of the top collegiate football teams in the nation. For additional information on the Tournament of Roses please visit the official website at www.tournamentofroses.com.