Celebrating Hollywood’s support for organ and tissue donation, Donate Life Hollywood will host the third annual Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Awards on June 22.
Television episodes, films and celebrities will be honored at the event, held at Hollywood’s historic Avalon Theatre.
The Donate Life Hollywood Person of the Year Award is given annually by the organ and tissue donation community to honor individuals in the entertainment industry who have worked to inspire people to save lives as organ and tissue donors
Nominees for 2011 Donate Life Hollywood Person of the Year are:
- Jack Black has been supported and attended the Renal Support Network’s Renal Teen Prom for the past two years.
- Grizz Chapman from “30 Rock” is a kidney recipient and supports kidney disease awareness through the National Kidney Foundation.
- Brad Ellis, the piano player in “Glee,” is a heart recipient and sits on the advisory committee for the documentary “The Power of Two.” He also likely inspired the “Glee” storyline on organ donation!
- Ann Lopez is the living kidney donor to comedian George Lopez and was a float participant in the 2011 Donate Life Rose Parade Float on New Year’s Day
- Ryan Merriman plays the brother of an organ donor in the independent film “The 5th Quarter” and has long supported organ and tissue donation.
Also expected to attend are Arianne Zucker (“Days of our Lives”), Chrishell Stause (“All My Children”), Trent Garrett (“All My Children”), Jacob Young (“All My Children”), Natalie Hall (“All My Children”), Lindsay Hartley (“All My Children”), Rebecca Budig (“All My Children”), Jordi Vilasuso (“All My Children”), Stephanie Gatschet (“All My Children”), Sarah Glendening (“All My Children”), Denise Vasi (“All My Children”), Eddie Matos (“All My Children”), Préity Üupala (former Miss India) and Terrell Carter (“Soul Kittens Cabaret”).
The Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Awards are given annually to television episodes and films featuring organ donation and transplant storylines that:
- Entertained: The writers utilized organ/tissue donation and transplantation to tell an engaging and dramatic story.
- Enlightened: The episode conveyed factual information about the organ/tissue donation and transplant process and did not perpetuate common donation myths.
- Inspired: Viewers were left with a positive feeling about organ/tissue donation that may motivate them to sign up as donors.
This year 11 television episodes and one independent film rose to the top to win a Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Award:
- Boston Med, Episode 8
- Desperate Housewives, Susan’s kidney storyline
- Entourage, “Buzzed”
- ESPN’s E:60 The Gift
- Family Guy, “New Kidney in Town”
- General Hospital, Jake’s organ donation
- Glee, “Special Education”
- Grey’s Anatomy “These Arms of Mine”
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Tara Storch Interview
- The Nate Berkus Show, The Ogbuji Family
- The NFL Today Chris Henry Feature
- The 5th Quarter, Independent Film
Donate Life Hollywood is a project of Donate Life America and OneLegacy designed to engage the entertainment community to inspire their fans and viewers to donate life.
