Science teacher, Mr. Payne’s entire family has been volunteering at the New Year’s parade since being recognized by the One Legacy Organization in 2017 for his nephew’s organ donation after passing away at 16 months old. The parade is going to be on January 1st. It is the New Year’s Day parade that goes down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California.
Payne says, “In 2011, my nephew passed away, and in doing so, he donated four of his organs and saved four people’s lives. In 2017, his donation was honored by the One Legacy Organization, and his remembrance was put on the float that year. And so every year, because we feel very grateful for what One Legacy did for my nephew, we go back and we volunteer our time and work on that.”
While this loss was devastating for the Payne family, his nephew was able to donate his heart, his liver, and both kidneys to people in need. They originally got started because his nephew was a Floragraph Honoree. A Floragraph Honoree is a person who passed away and donated their organs who has been chosen to be honored on the Rose Parade float. Their picture is decorated in assorted spices and grains and then their picture goes up on the parade float. They have found ways to participate in many ways to raise awareness for organ donation.
“Every year, my family and I volunteer to put together the One Legacy/Donate Life Rose Parade float,” explains Payne. “This is one of the many floats that go down Colorado Boulevard and make billions of impressions world wide across many media platforms.”
This parade is a huge celebration that many people work towards to create to honor the organ donors of family members and friends who have passed. No matter what community members do to bring this celebration together, it is all worth it in the end and sustains community support all around.
Payne states, “I really like being able to be in a space where all of the people that are working on that parade float have some form of connection to organ donation. It’s nice because, typically when people hear about family members who have passed on and have donated their organs, they think it’s a hard thing to talk about for most people. The people who work on this float are in a place where they are free to share their stories and their connections with organ donation.”
Whether it’s a loved one, family friend or maybe they themselves have received organs, this community comes together and is able to share in such a special way every year.
Sophomore Parker Buffington expresses, “I think organ donations are really special. You never know whose life you are going to save and the way Coach Payne and his family honor them is actually incredible.”
People like Buffington, are inspired by stories like this and encourage students like her to make a difference in the world, even if it is just something small. Organ donations are huge because they save lives.
“My mother and I are two of the head volunteers that help lead others in decorating the float with seeds, spices, flowers, and other live products,” Payne says. “This has been an incredible event to be a part of every year since 2017.”
To honor his nephew’s gift, one of those ways is volunteering their time most weekends in November and December to create the One Legacy/Donate Life Float. This is how they honor donors who have passed away and donated their organs.
