Auburn historic courthouse dons blue and green for Donate Life Month

In honor of Donate Life Month and the gift of organ donation, the colonnade of the Placer County historic courthouse in Auburn was lit blue and green April 1. Valen Keefer, Auburn resident and patient advocacy consultant for the transplant diagnostics business at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said she was excited to see the Donate Life colors displayed in her hometown. Keefer is a double-transplant recipient and will celebrate her 20-year kidney transplant anniversary this summer. After seeing the colonnade lit pink in October, Keefer reached out to the county about displaying blue and green in April. Keefer said she's grateful for the partnership with the county to be able to share the importance of organ donation. "It's something special when it's your hometown," she said. "I'm proud of and love the work that I do nationally, but just having it on a local level is something extra special." In addition to the courthouse displaying the Donate Life colors, Keefer said the county will present her with a proclamation designating April as Donate Life Month in Placer during a lighting ceremony Friday, April 22. Keefer said she selected the date because April 22 is National Donate Life Blue & Green Day. Keefer said the day "encourage(s) people to wear blue and green, and do fun things within their communities. So I thought that would be a very appropriate day to celebrate this occasion, and I'm just so thankful to have the support of the local community. Placer County has been amazing." Placer County District 5 Supervisor and Board Chair Cindy Gustafson said in a written statement, "Placer County is honored to recognize national Donate Life Month. We are grateful to those who've saved lives through the gift of donation and we encourage others to consider registering as a donor." The lighting ceremony will also include the executive director from Sierra Donor Services, the organ procurement organization that serves Placer County, sharing the organization's role and how many people are impacted locally. Keefer will emcee the event and said she will share her story as an organ transplant recipient, and has invited a donor family to share their story and impact on organ donation. Keefer said she also wants to add someone who is currently on the transplant waitlist to share their story as well. "That way, we get the full perspective of somebody waiting for a transplant, myself on the other side of transplant as a recipient and then have a donor family and a mother talk about a loved one, their son, becoming an organ donor," Keefer said, noting she's excited to provide the community with an impactful, educational and inspirational program. "I thought it would be really nice to have the full perspective." Keefer said the ceremony will include a moment of silence to honor donors and a local musician will provide music before and after the program, as well as singing "Hallelujah" following the moment of silence. Following the event, the community is invited to mingle and take pictures of the courthouse. The event is at 7 p.m. outside the historic courthouse, 101 Maple Street in Auburn. For more information, individuals can reach out to Keefer through the contact section of her website, valenkeefer.com. According to a Placer County news release, the lights will remain on for the entire month.