The My State Cares Awards
We met so many wonderful people. We saw so many incredible things. It truly is a great country.
We want to recognize the excellence in the USA with the My State Cares Awards. Some awards are serious. Some are fun. Some recognize those working in organ donation while others are more general. How did your state do?
| Award | In Recognition Of | Winning State | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| The My State Cares Award | Most registrations by % on the Contest Date | Louisiana | Donate Life Louisiana |
| My Government Cares Award | Elected official showing the most support for organ donor registration in the USA | Illinois | Secretary of State Jesse White |
| The Best Place to Live Award | After touring all 50 states, this is where we've determined to be the best place to settle down | Colorado | Colorado Springs |
| The Best Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Hospital Award | Of course we wouldn't show any bias here, or would we? | Wisconsin | University of Madison Hospital and Clinics |
| The Best Statistics Award | This organization's command of the registration numbers makes even a CPA jealous | Kentucky | Donate Life Kentucky |
| The Big Picture Award | The organization showing dedication to registrations across the country | Oregon | Donate Life Northwest |
| The Making Lemonade Award | The organization making the most out of the unfortunate weather | Mississippi | Donate Life Mississippi |
| The Most Creative Award | The organization displaying the most all around creativity for registering donors | Utah | Utah Coalition for Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation |
| The Most Inspiring Tour Award | We had several great tours, but this one inspired us the most on our trip around the USA | Alabama | Alabama Organ Center |
| The Most Supportive Organization Award | This organization surprised us with their tremendous support for our work in the My State Cares Contest | Oklahoma | LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma |
| The Short Notice Award | We want to apologize for providing such short notice to this organization who was still able to use the opportunity to register donors | Arizona | Donate Life AZ Donor Network of Arizona |
| The Think Outside the Booth Award | The organization that showed the most thinking outside the booth...er box | Louisiana | Donate Life Louisiana |
| The Adopted Mom/Grandma Award | This person became our Mom/Grandma away from home | Arkansas | Mary Huss, Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency |
| The Influencing the Influencers Award | This person/organization is smart enough to teach those who teach others | New Mexico | Maria Sanders, Donate Life New Mexico |
| The Most Amazing Volunteer Award | This volunteer showed the most dedication and hard work towards registering donors | Nebraska | Cindy Schabow, Donate Life Nebraska |
| The Most Enthusiastic Employee Award | This person displayed the most enthusiasm of anyone on the entire trip | Louisiana | Lori Steele, Donate Life Louisiana |
| The Sacrificing the Turkey Award | This person worked on Thanksgiving in order to get the word out about registering donors | Ohio | Rachel Lewis, Lifeline of Ohio |
| The Most Comfortable Donate Life Shirt Award | These were so comfortable that we wanted to wear them for days on end...and one of us did! | Oklahoma | LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma |
| The Overall Best Donate Life Shirt Award | This shirt stood out among all the others. You might have seen us wear it... | Oregon | Donate Life Northwest |
| The Kindest Business Award | This business surprised and overwhelmed us with their kindness | Kansas | Davis-Moore Automotive |
| The Most Generous Business Award | This business was the most generous across the country in registering organ donors | Louisiana | Benny's Car Wash |
| The Most Generous Hotel Award | We stayed at quite a few hotels over the year, but this one topped them all in generosity | Illinois | Hotel Indigo Gold Coast |
| The Best BBQ in the USA Award | We tried as many as we could across the USA, but this one stood out above all the others | Arkansas | Ralph's Pink Flamingo BBQ |
| The Best Chicken in the USA Award | Moist, tender, falling off the bone...makes me hungry thinking about it | Tennessee | Corky's BBQ |
| The Best Gelato in the USA Award | Mmmh, and it's healthy, too, right? | Arizona | La Scala Creamery |
| The Best Meal in the USA Award | It's a meal we still talk about - it was that good! | Louisiana | Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro |
| The Best Pizza in the USA Award | This isn't your typical pizza: it's incredible | Pennsylvania | Arcaro & Genell |
| The Best Beach in the USA Award | This beach was our favorite because of the powdery, white sand | Florida | Siesta Key Beach |
| The Best Mini Golf in the USA Award | After mini golfing in 49 states (yes, we missed 1), this one was above par according to our son | Rhode Island | Mulligan's Island |
| The Best Presidential Museum in the USA Award | This museum is so much more than reading information | Illinois | Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum |
| The Best Zoo in the USA Award | Voted best zoo or aquarium around the USA by our daughter | Nebraska | Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo |
