Rose Parade

Every New Year’s Day, the Donate Life Rose Parade Float serves as a memorial to organ, eye and tissue donors. Introduced in 2004, it also provides a platform for donor families, living donors and transplant recipients to inspire the world.

It’s seen worldwide by millions of people. One of the most celebrated traditions on New Year’s Day is to enjoy viewing—either in person—or by watching on TV, the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

The Rose Parade is hosted annually by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, a volunteer organization.

Each year, donors are honored with floral memorial “floragraph” portraits that grace the Donate Life Float. A floragraph is a portrait created with floral materials. The loving and generous individuals portrayed in the floragraphs leave a positive impact on their families, communities, and those they helped.

ROSE PARADE 2016: Donate Life Float Is Award Winner for “Color and Color Harmony”

January 1st, 2016

The Tournament of Roses announced award-winning floats in the 127th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California — and the Donate Life Float was named among the winners.

The float, whose theme was “Treasure Life’s Journey,” was honored by the parade organizers with the Isabella Coleman Award for best presentation of color and color harmony.

Rose Parade Donate Life Float 2016

The Donate Life Float depicted a caravan scene at a desert oasis, celebrating the journey of life and the legacy of adventures by organ, eye and tissue donors and recipients.

It called attention to 52 men and 44 women from across the U.S. whose own journeys have been touched by the incredible gift of organ donation and transplantation:

24 riders, who are organ and tissue recipients (or, in a few cases, are family members representing loved ones who were transplant recipients);
12 walkers, men and women who made the remarkable but increasingly widespread choice of donating a kidney to a family member or even a stranger;
and 60 “floragraphs,” portraits made from flowers depicting deceased donors whose legacies are celebrated by their loved ones.

Rose Parade 2015 Highlighted How Organ Donation Brought Three Families Together The 2015 Rose Parade took place in Pasadena on a surprisingly cold New Year's Day. Time Warner Cable News focused on the Donate Life Float, and highlighted the incredible story that brought three individuals and their families together through organ ... ROSE PARADE 2015: Three-Way Connection of Living Kidney Donor, Deceased Donor and Organ Transplant Recipient to Be Honored Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network and University of Rochester Medical Center/Strong Memorial Hospital will sponsor and honor three individuals from Rochester who were part of an awe-inspiring, hard to believe, three-way connection involving organ d... THE NEVER-ENDING STORY: 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Design Is Unveiled 2015 Donate Life Float Shares ‘THE NEVER-ENDING STORY’ of organ, eye and tissue donation with Rose Parade audience. Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network and University of Rochester Medical Center are among the official sponsors. FLDRN's Donor and Recipient Honorees at the 2014 Rose Parade As we have done for the past six years, the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network had the pleasure of participating as a sponsor of the 2014 Donate Life Float. And the float was recognized as the winner of the Theme Award. "Light Up the World" Float Will Inspire 2014 Rose Parade Viewers On June 17, 2013, more than 70 organizations supporting Donate Life America’s life-saving mission unveiled their 11th Donate Life Rose Bowl Parade float: “Light Up the World,” a festival of beautiful lanterns that will inspire viewers worldwide to sa... 2012 Parade Float - Plus Honorees, 2008 Through 2011 FLDRN participated in America's most visible campaign to inspire people to become organ donors, the Rose Bowl Parade. FLDRN Took Part in 2013 Rose Bowl Parade Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network was proud to honor a local organ donor and an organ transplant recipient.