Written by Zoe Engels, Contributing Writer and Editor
Did you know that you can save lives this summer? That’s right—summer break isn’t just a time for relaxing, reenergizing, and basking in the sunshine. It’s also the perfect opportunity to use some of your new free time to find rewarding ways to give back and help others through organ, eye, and tissue advocacy and education efforts. Here are 4 ways you can get involved ASAP.
Apply for Our Scholarships
It’s not too late! Our 2024 scholarship applications are due June 16th at 11:59 PM PT. Submit yours in the knick of time here. We are offering the Student Advocacy Scholarship and HBCU Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation Advocacy Scholarship. Five $1,000 scholarships are available to students enrolled in any accredited U.S. college or university thanks to Second Chance Fundraising, and five $1,000 scholarships are available to students attending HBCUs thanks to Hearts for Russ.
Start a Chapter
Do you know if there’s already a SODA chapter on your campus? Check out our interactive map to see if your campus already has a SODA chapter. If they do, then you can join your campus’s chapter and the 750+ students in SODA’s chapter network on their journey to save lives.
If your high school, college, or graduate school campus doesn’t have a SODA chapter yet, don’t worry—you can create one! Summer is the perfect time to start planning out your chapter.
Begin by taking SODA’s eligibility quiz. Next, find a team of three students with whom you can establish and lead your campus’s chapter, and review our resources and expectations. Once you’ve reviewed everything and are ready for the next step, complete your new chapter application. We can’t wait for you to join our rapidly growing community!
Host an Event
If you know you’ll only have a few free hours here and there to advocate for organ, eye, and tissue donation, then you can host a one-off SODA event. And what better time to start planning a Fall semester event than now, during the hot summer months? Hosting a SODA event is a quick, easy, and effective way to educate your peers about organ, eye, and tissue donation and register them as donors. Making a difference can be quick and easy!
To get started, take our eligibility quiz. Next, decide what type of event you’d like to host. Find inspiration, such as Donors and Donuts or Raffles and Boardgames, on our website. If you don’t see your idea on the list, that’s okay! We want to hear it. Once you know what kind of event you’d like to host, apply for support for your event from SODA National. We’re excited to see what event ideas you come up with!
Get Volunteer Hours
You know what looks great on a college application? Volunteer Hours! Did you also know that SODA can provide a Letter of Certification for your volunteer hours with us? If you’ve already hosted an organ donation advocacy event or are part of a SODA chapter, you can submit a SODA Volunteer Hour Form with proof of your service, and SODA National will email you a signed Letter of Certification.
If you don’t have volunteer hours with SODA yet, that’s okay—now’s the time to get started. You can download our Volunteer Hour Log to track your volunteer hours as you advocate for and educate your community about organ, eye, and tissue donation. A log with your advisor’s signature also serves as proof of service for a Letter of Certification.
Leave a comment below and let us know how you decide to save lives this summer!
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