Meridian resident Leslie Carruth was recently awarded the Service Ambassador Award from Donate Life America for her dedication to supporting organ, eye and tissue donation.

The award was presented during the annual Donate Life America Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky.

Donate Life Community ambassadors work tirelessly to increase organ, eye and tissue donation and are the backbone of Donate Life America’s mission. The annual Ambassador Service Award honors an outstanding Donate Life ambassador/volunteer nominated by a Donate Life Community organization. Carruth was nominated by the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency.

Carruth and her husband, Bill, tragically lost their 6-year-old daughter, Alexandra (Allie), in March 2017. Through their grief, they made the selfless decision to donate her organs to save others. Carruth and her family wanted a way to honor Allie’s memory while raising awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation, so they created the Allie Cat Run and Festival. The first event took place on March 24, 2018. In the seven years since, the Allie Cat Run and Festival has raised over $500,000 with all proceeds supporting community programs.

“Leslie has become a trusted voice in her community, inspiring people to register as donors and directly influencing several Meridian families to say ‘yes’ to donation in times of loss,” says Kevin Stump, MORA President and CEO. “Our gratitude to Leslie and her family is immeasurable.”

A new patient is added to the national transplant waiting list every eight minutes while an average of 16 people die each day awaiting a life-saving transplant that never comes. In Mississippi, there are more than 1,300 people waiting for a transplant. One organ donor can save eight lives, and one tissue donor can save or heal the lives of 75 recipients or more.