Amy Bandy, RN, MSN, CNML
Carle Hospital
Director of Medical & Surgical and Critical Care
Urbana, IL

Amy earned her Nursing Diploma at Jewish Hospital School of nursing in St. Louis, later completing her Master’s in nursing through McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois.  Currently Amy holds the role of Director of Nursing of Critical Care/Medical-Surgical at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois and is the Carle Hospital liaison to the Gift Of Hope Organization.  Amy grew a passion for organ donation throughout her years in critical care and through seeing how the loss of a life can lead to giving a life.  Amy is a member of the Life goes on committee in Champaign County and has been instrumental in the development of a successful organ donation program at Carle.  Amy shares her passion of Organ donation by speaking to the community through different venues of media outlets to increase awareness.

Kari Kozuki, LCSW
Donor Family Special Event Coordinator
OneLegacy
Los Angeles, CA

Kari earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UCLA and then a Master’s degree in Social Work from San Diego State University. Kari did hospital social work for several years; the last hospital she worked in was a trauma center where she supported patients and families in the ER and ICU. In this setting, she worked with families who were approached about organ donation and witnessed families making the decision to donate. When offered a position at OneLegacy in the Aftercare Department, Kari took the opportunity to support donor families, who she feels are people deserving of honor and compassion. Kari currently works at OneLegacy, where she organizes events that are held to honor organ and tissue donors and their families.
 
Larry & Vivian Lefferts
Donor Family & President of Central States Fireworks, Inc.
Athens, IL

John Lefferts, the 22 year old son of Vivian and Larry Lefferts, died suddenly and tragically on October 
11, 2004, from an aortic dissecting aneurysm. John was a cornea, bone and tissue donor whose gifts 
have touched the lives of 37 people, including 2 people from Missouri who can now see the world 
through John’s eyes. The Lefferts lived in Springfield, Illinois at that time and John’s cornea donation 
was handled by Heartland Eye Bank. They currently live in Normal, Illinois, to be close to their 
daughter and granddaughter, Eleanor and Alina. 
     

Since 2005, Larry and Vivian have found great comfort in sharing John’s story, knowing what a 
tremendous gift John offered to others. Vivian once said “So many people readily recognize the gift 
that donation provides to recipients, but we want to help them recognize what a profound gift it is to 
the family and loved ones left behind. It truly provides hope for the future and the knowledge that a 
death was not in vain. Life truly does go on.”
Larry and Vivian advocate on behalf of Gift of Hope, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, Eversight 
Illinois. Gift of Hope sent them as their representatives to the Donate Life Float in the 2013 Rose 
Parade. They are now members of the planning committee and provide program staff support in 
Pasadena for each year’s new attendees who are a combination of donor families, recipients and living 
donors. 
     

Larry and Vivian’s speaking engagements have taken them as far as Savannah, Georgia. Their goal 
is to help raise public awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation and to spread 
John’s story of selfless giving. According to Larry, “The loss of a child is the cruelest fate parents can 
experience. Nothing can prepare you for the shock and overwhelming grief from such a blow. Our 
involvement has offered a measure of comfort and healing I could not have found anywhere else. It is 
a blessing to me to be a volunteer for donation awareness.”