Non-Profit Spotlight: Texas Organ Sharing Alliance

Celebrating 50 years of continued commitment to the power of organ donation

Since its establishment in 1975, the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) has had a mission of saving lives through the power of organ donation. Fifty years into that vision, TOSA is taking the time to reflect and reenergize to look to the future.

With over 10,000 patients on the Texas transplant waiting list, TOSA’s efforts in the community are more important now than ever.

TOSA works with over 140 hospital partners, community leaders, and volunteers dedicated to advocating organ donation and its lifesaving possibilities in their service area.

In the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), TOSA is at the forefront when organ donation becomes an option by coordinating and facilitating the donation process and working with families through the journey.

From participating in hundreds of events, educating hospital staff on donation, speaking to families, carrying out the donation process, and ensuring donor families feel cared for, TOSA has been a part of thousands of donation legacies and the lives they saved.

Leaders at TOSA know that none of this would be possible without passionate, dedicated, and loyal professionals in the RGV.

Edwina Garza, Donor Family Services Supervisor, has given her time to TOSA for nearly 13 years and has seen the growth of acceptance for organ donation in the region.

“TOSA has been dedicated to organ donor education through community-focused initiatives, constant and strategic media outreach, as well as partnerships with stakeholders across the Rio Grande Valley,” said Garza. “By tackling the community’s concerns from myths and misconceptions, TOSA has empowered families to make decisions that save lives, create legacies, and ultimately help create a community that supports organ donation.”

TOSA works alongside Donate Life Texas (DLT), the state’s official tissue, eye, and organ donor registry, to combat myths and misconceptions about organ donation, educate the community, and promote the donor registry.

Through innovations and staff dedicated to saving lives in the RGV, TOSA hopes to continue creating a positive culture for organ donation in the community to make a difference in the lives of those waiting for a transplant.

To learn more about organ donation or to sign up as an organ donor, visit TOSA1.org.