Family Circle Rose Dedication Program

2007 Resources for Hospitals & Organizations

The Family Circle package for hospitals and organizations is designed to both honor
families touched by donation as well as provide the building blocks for a meaningful holiday season news story featuring your institution.

There are three primary opportunities for you to utilize the Family Circle package to its fullest extent and generate media coverage surrounding your participation:

  1. Host a Family Circle rose dedication ceremony
  2. Create a photo opportunity
  3. Display Family Circle roses
  4. Place a media article

Below are details and examples to make your Family Circle involvement meaningful and newsworthy.We are available to help you in any way to create opportunities that best suit your hospital or organization’s needs.

Thank you!

Laurel and Tenaya

Laurel Wolowic:

Tenaya Wallace:

1.Family CircleRose Dedication Ceremony

A Family Circle Ceremony brings the families you are honoring to your hospital or organization for a special event. The focal point of the event is to give families their replica vials with roses and to take a photograph of all the families holding their vials to usein internal and external press outreach.

Ceremony timing:

If completed Family Circle forms(including family names) aresubmitted by November 25ththen you will have your Family Circle packets by December 1stst, allowing your Ceremony to be held anytime between December 1stand the 31st.

Ceremony checklist:

You will need to arrange the following elements for a Family Circle ceremony:

Donate Life Rose Parade Float 221 South Figueroa Street, Suite 500 Los Angeles, CA90012 (213) 229-5600 Fax (213) 229-5601

  • Roses (silk roses or fresh roses donated by local florists)
  • Roses display (see sample)
  • Ceremony space (consider the backdrop and photo area)
  • Food (light appetizers or cake drinks)
  • Microphone, lecternand chairs
  • Photographer
  • Float rendering (see sample)
  • Program and speakers (see sample)
  • Invitation (see sample)

Donate Life Rose Parade Float 221 South Figueroa Street, Suite 500 Los Angeles, CA90012 (213) 229-5600 Fax (213) 229-5601

Family Circle Rose Dedication Program

2007 Resources for Hospitals & Organizations (cont’d)

2.Photo Opportunity in Lieu of Ceremony

A Family Circle Ceremony will provide an excellent photo opportunity of your invited families holding their roses.This photograph can be placed in your newsletter and is an opportunity for local media.

If you can’t host a ceremony, your replica vials still provide an opportunity for a photograph.Consider having your staff hold the vials and/or create a rose display.See a photograph of a sample Rose Display.

3.Display Family Circle Roses

We have prepared a sample rose display.This is perfect for your ceremony or photo opportunity.As December is the season of giving, the roses can also be displayed in your hospitals as a beautiful tribute to those who have given the gift of life.Consider high traffic locations within your hospital where it would be appropriate to host the Family Circle roses.

All of the elements of our sample rose display were found at Michael’s, a crafts store.We have also found links to sites to order your materials online.

Silk roses:

Spanish moss:

Styrofoam, sheet or heart:

Adhesive spray:

4.News Article

Your involvement in the Family Circle personalizes your institution’s commitment to donation and creates a positive and powerful news story about your mission to serve families and save lives through organ donation.

Media Tips:

  • Work with your hospital PR department and/or contact your local Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) to receive assistance from the OPO’s communications team.
  • Send a Media Advisory (see sample)before your event to let print and news media know the when, where and why.
  • Send a News Release (see sample) with a photograph after the event to local papers who did not attend.
  • Use the“Facts About the Donate Life Float and Family Circle” when speaking to the press.
  • Consider where families reside and contact their local papers.Let the family know you are doing this and obtain their support.
  • Identify one compelling donation story to represent your 2006 donors and pitch this story to local media.Use a picture of the donor family’s replica vial to tie in your participation in the Family Circle.
  • Put an article in your own newsletter and send the same article, with a picture, to your local OPO, tissue bank, local AMA and other associations (local chapters of American Liver Foundation, American Heart Association and other interested in donation in your area).
  • Fill out the Family Circle PR Tracking Form to let us know about your Family Circle stories.

Donate Life Rose Parade Float 221 South Figueroa Street, Suite 500 Los Angeles, CA90012 (213) 229-5600 Fax (213) 229-5601