Family Spotlight

A COTA Family is Celebrating the Ultimate Gift … the Gift of Life

December 1999 was a time of great joy and great stress for the Copeland family of Colorado.  Deb Copeland delivered twin boys on December 2nd, one of whom had been diagnosed in utero with a congenital heart defect.  Baby Ben was healthy, but Baby Drew was not.  Drew was diagnosed with Double Outlet Right Ventricle Mitral Atresia, which meant the pumping chamber of his tiny heart was malformed.  Drew would need a heart transplant to survive.

Throughout his early years, Drew survived three open heart surgeries and numerous heart catherizations.  However, in July 2009 Deb and John Copeland were told that Drew’s heart was failing.  During these days of fear and stress, the Copeland family reached out to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) for guidance and support.

According to John and Deb, “COTA provided hope through all of the support we received while waiting for a new heart for Drew.  The support came in the form of kind words, financial assistance, cards and prayers.  COTA meant we were not alone during the most intense and painful time in our life.  The immense love we felt was like a life boat that cushioned the stress and pain we were experiencing.”

The transplant team at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, placed Drew on the organ waiting list.  After months of prayers, the Copeland family received the call on December 21, 2009.  By early the next morning, Drew was in surgery receiving his new heart … and his second chance at life. 

“I wept when our transplant coordinator told me the new heart was beating in his little body.  Gratitude surged through my soul.  Praise and thanksgiving were on my lips during this holiday time, and our prayers spilled over to our donor family,” Deb remembers.

This December will be Drew’s two-year transplant anniversary. 

“Receiving a heart at the holidays was an amazing miracle.  Before the transplant, Drew couldn’t run down the stairs and now he runs around the baseball diamond.  He loves to feel winded because he trusts his new heart that is now allowing him to be a little boy … what a miracle,” said Deb and John.

The holidays will be lively this year for the Copeland family, and undoubtedly Deb and John will welcome the chaos.

Please visit www.cota.org and select “Find a COTA Family” to locate a transplant family in your area needing financial and/or volunteer assistance.  

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Giving Options

Limit What You Owe at Tax Time

Believe it or not, you can decrease the amount Uncle Sam will get from you next April 15th.  Regardless of what type of gift you give, donating before the end of the year qualifies you for a charitable deduction -- if you itemize your deductions when filing your taxes.

How You Can Help
When deciding what type of gift to give, feel free to contact the Children's Organ Transplant Association to learn more about COTA’s areas of service and current programs.  Or, if you do not wish to donate to a specific area, we also welcome unrestricted gifts which allow us to designate your funds to meet our most pressing needs.

Ways to Give
You always have the option of giving cash or writing a check, but you may also use your credit card.  You will receive a deduction in the year you charge your gift -- rather than when you pay the credit card company.

You may also consider gifts of appreciated stock and real estate you have owned longer than one year.  These types of gifts avoid capital gains taxes, and you can usually deduct the fully appreciated value of the gift for income tax purposes.  But unlike writing a check, these gifts take more time to complete so be sure to plan ahead if you want to take a deduction for the current year.

Please call Rick Lofgren at 800.366.2682, or email him at rick@cota.org for more information.

This article is for information purposes and is not binding tax or legal advice.  Please consult with your tax advisor for specific items to discover how they impact your situation.

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Ways You Can Help

Miracle Makers in Action … Slinging Spaghetti in Indy

In Speedway, Indiana (just a few feet from the famous “yard of bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), is where you will find American Legion Post 500.  Each month at Post 500, the Sons of The American Legion Squadron hosts their ‘world famous’ spaghetti dinner and the proceeds are donated to a worthy charity.  In November, the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) was chosen as the monthly spaghetti charity -- and a large group of dedicated volunteers cooked, served and cleared tables.  These Miracle Makers worked selflessly in order to raise funds for COTA in honor of a local teen who is awaiting a double lung transplant.  The men of Squadron 500 donned aprons and worked up quite a sweat to provide a tasty meal while helping COTA patient Melanie Albright get one step closer to having the funds she needs for her transplant-related expenses. 

Outstanding food, a great cause and a sense of camaraderie was the order of the evening … and a great way to kick off Thanksgiving week. 

Not interested in making spaghetti?  Not a problem … organizing a spaghetti dinner is just one way that COTA Miracle Makers Give Hope and Make Miracles.  At COTA, we can help you customize any fundraiser that works for you in your community and make it a COTA Miracle Maker event.  Click here to get started and we will respond promptly with a helping hand and a couple of ideas to get you off and running.

For more ideas on ways you can help raise funds for COTA this holiday season on behalf of a transplant family in your area, please contact Doug Lippert, Resource Development Manager at MiracleMakerInfo@cota.org or by calling 800.366.2682, extension 225.

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COTA News

COTA Reports Record Number of Children Successfully Transplanted

“COTA’s unwavering commitment to giving hope and making miracles for each transplant family is underscored by the organizations nearly 200,000 volunteers and contributors who, during the past 25 years, have generously donated their time and their money to COTA,” said Rick Lofgren, COTA President.  “These volunteers and contributors are indeed heroes; they are our Miracle Makers.”

An important benchmark for any non-profit organization is the percent of expenditures used for program-related activities.  In the past year, Lofgren reported that 85% of COTA’s expenses were directed toward patient care and organ, tissue and marrow donor education program activities.

“Giving Hope … Making Miracles is more than a slogan for the Children’s Organ Transplant Association -- it is a guiding vision,” said Scott Price, COTA’s Chairman of the Board.  “On behalf of COTA’s Board of Directors, it is my pleasure to report that approximately $4.2 million was raised to help meet transplant-related expenses of COTA patients during fiscal year 2011.  COTA’s Board of Directors is committed to ensuring that every dollar donated for our patients is used for transplant-related expenses.”

When COTA was founded in 1986, most donations were made through cash or checks.  In fiscal year 2011, COTA’s website (www.cota.org) became the organization’s fastest growing method of raising funds with more than $1.1 million contributed in online donations to help children and families.

Since its founding in 1986, two of COTA’s hallmarks are that patients are not charged for services and every dollar contributed in honor, or in memory, of COTA patients is used for transplant-related expenses.

“In addition to the excellent programs and services COTA provides free of charge, we augment the funds our volunteers raise by providing challenge and reallocation grants of up to $10,000 for each campaign,” said Price.  “These COTA programs have distributed more than $5,000,000 to COTA fundraising campaigns since 2000.” 

COTA’s priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds.  100 percent of all funds raised in honor of patients are used for transplant-related expenses.

COTA is committed to providing assistance to children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant and in helping our Miracle Makers find creative ways to raise funds toward that effort. For more information about COTA and how you can help, please click here MiracleMakerInfo@cota.org or call 800.366.2682, extension 225.

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Welcome to the COTA Family

These children and young adults are recent additions to our COTA Family. Please contact COTA, or the individual Community Coordinators listed at each COTA website (links provided below), if you would like to assist any of these fundraising campaigns.

	Two year old Rylynn Riojas received a heart transplant on October 6, 2011 at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. COTA for Rylynn R Volunteers from her hometown of Lampasa, Texas have teamed together to raise funds and are over halfway to their goal!
	Doctors at University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill have recommended a life-saving double lung transplant for Patti Benedict, from Asheboro, Tennessee. An estimated $100,000 is being raised by COTA for Patti B volunteers.
	Born on September 4, 2010, Easton Rayoum was diagnosed with Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney Disease, and doctors at Saint Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri recommended a life-saving kidney transplant. On November 1, 2011, Easton received his transplant! COTA for Easton R volunteers from Bloomsdale, Missouri are working together to raise funds.
	On June 25, 2011, Jake Wisniewski received a life-saving double lung transplant at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. COTA for Jake W volunteers from Clifton, New Jersey set out to reach a fundraising goal of $100,000 and have recently surpassed it!
	Emily Marshall received a life-saving kidney transplant on September 21, 2011 at the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. An estimated $30,000 is being raised by Tullahoma COTA for Emily M volunteers.

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COTA Fast Fact

Flexible Services Available at No Cost
The Children's Organ Transplant Association program is flexible -- COTA assists families regardless of their need or the type of support they require.

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