LifeSource celebrates community champions for organ donation advocacy
Awards ceremony follows a record-breaking year of organ donation in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota
MINNEAPOLIS (May 1, 2025) – Each April, during National Donate Life Month, LifeSource proudly honors individuals and organizations that go above and beyond in advocating for organ, eye, and tissue donation. These awards celebrate the inspiring efforts that help save and heal lives throughout the Upper Midwest.
LifeSource – a community-based healthcare organization based in north Minneapolis – closely partners with hundreds of hospitals, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices, funeral homes and individual communities throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. These partnerships are critical to making organ donation possible.
“Advocacy is hospital teams who act with urgency and compassion; storytellers who amplify the message of donation in new ways; and families who turn personal loss into a legacy of hope,” shares Kelly White, LifeSource CEO. “It’s our partners, our ambassadors, and our community leaders who show us—through their actions every day—what it truly means to champion the gift of life.”
This year, ten honorees received an award for their remarkable contributions to supporting the life-saving mission:
Hospital Partners of the Year
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center
Fairview Range Medical Center
Mercy Hospital
Donation Partner of the Year
Boriana Strzok, Founder & CEO, 5IVE
Pay it Forward Award
Sarah and Arlin Fisher, donor parents, Crosses for Cameron
Hospital Teams of the Year
M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital – Emergency Department and ICU Teams
Hospital Unit of the Year
Hennepin Healthcare Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Media Partner of the Year
Kevin Wallevand, Reporter, WDAY-Fargo
Ambassadors of the Year
Melanie Wickersheim, heart and kidney transplant recipient
Beth Costello, donor mother
Congratulations to all award honorees for leading these critical initiatives impacting donation each day, helping LifeSource achieve its vision that everyone shares the gift of life.
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About LifeSource
LifeSource is the non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in the Upper Midwest, serving more than seven million people in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. We are relentlessly pursuing a day when no one dies waiting for a life-saving transplant. Learn more at Life-source.org.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Sarah Sonn, Communications Director
415-806-1467; ssonn@life-source.org