Record Donate Life Walk Draws Hundreds, Highlights Parents Mourning Lost Daughters And Urgent Donor Push

Families Honor Lost Daughters As Bloomfield Walk Boosts Organ And Tissue Donation Awareness

USA: Hundreds of people converged in Bloomfield for the 12th annual Blue and Green 5K Walk hosted by New England Donor Services during National Donate Life Month, a record turnout organizers said for organ and tissue donation events across New England. The community event — emceed by McCain — featured teams, a fairy-wings theme, and dozens of teenagers signing up to become registered donors, underscoring a new wave of support for transplantation and procurement initiatives.

Among the teams were Betty and Bruce Pendleton, who return each April to walk in memory of their daughters. Betty’s daughter Emma Lincoln died of a brain aneurysm in 2012 at age 9; Bruce’s daughter Samantha Clark died in 2019 at 29. Their team, carrying the name Emma’s Law and adorned with magic wands and fairy wings, channels personal loss into visible advocacy for donation.

Sixty lawn signs placed along the route represented people who gave and those who received lifesaving gifts — a tangible reminder that organ and tissue procurement and subsequent transplantation can extend lives and create enduring legacies. Organizers framed the walk as both a memorial and a practical recruitment drive to increase donor registrations and awareness of how transplantation transforms families.

As the event wound down, families and volunteers spoke of keeping the daughters’ legacies active through advocacy and registration efforts. Organizers said they will build on the record participation to expand donor outreach, aiming to translate the community’s turnout into real increases in transplant-ready donor registrations.

Video originally published on 2026-04-26 18:38:41