How it Started

The LifeNet Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization that was created in April 2001 as an outgrowth of LifeNet's Memorial Fund. LifeNet is an organ recovery agency serving most of the Commonwealth of Virginia and parts of North Carolina and West Virginia. LifeNet is also one of the largest non-profit full-service tissue banks in the United States, providing 20% of the nation's human tissue.

For over 15 years LifeNet operated a separate Memorial Fund that served to further the awareness of organ and tissue donation, support LifeNet donor family activities and support community bereavement programs. As the Foundation became more active in supporting grants for education and bereavement programming, it was evident that a separate organization was needed to manage its activities. The LifeNet Foundation held its first Board of Directors meeting in October 2001.

In 1990 the original Memorial Fund was created out of a need by LifeNet's hospital affairs, public education and donor family services departments for funding for special programs that were outside of LifeNet's operating budget. One of the first expenses was to purchase a Donor Family Library for each of LifeNet's offices to provide bereavement literature for donor family support. Over the years the Memorial Fund supported numerous LifeNet educational projects as well as some community-based programs.

Today the Foundation is working to develop its structure and looks forward to creating fund raising opportunities that will enable us to support many more programs in the future.