Bringing Recipients and Donor Families Together

Only available as part of a package

The bond between a donor family member and a recipient is a meaningful one and eye banks can help bring them together by facilitating meetings or communication. During this session, speakers discuss the programs that their organizations have instituted to connect donor families and recipients. This session highlights many of the different methods and processes that eye banks utilize to facilitate meetings and communications between donor families and recipients and includes materials for physicians to give to recipients, direct communication with donor families and recipients, instructions for how to write letters to a donor family, and family after care programs.

Matt Webber

Partner Relations Manager

Lions VisionGift

Matt Webber is the Partner Relations Manger at Lions VisionGift, helping to develop and implement strategies and activities to advance Lions VisionGift's initiatives. Prior to this, Matt served as the Community Engagement Manager at Donate Life NW. Matt enjoys Oregon, his running shoes, fly fishing, and writing short bios for presentations at EBAA.

Janice Sedgwick, CEBT

Georgia Eye Bank

Janice Sedgwick, CEBT, is the Manager of Public and Professional Relations at Georgia Eye Bank. Janice has also been a member of the Donor Development committee since 2012.

Kristel Gruslin, RN, CTBS

Kristel Gruslin received her Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2014. Before joining Transplant Services Center, she worked in the emergency department at Parkland Memorial Hospital and as a dialysis charge nurse at Fresenius Medical Care. At TSC, in addition to her hospital development and call center duties, Kristel has taken ownership of the Donor Family Aftercare Program (including correspondence exchange) transforming it into a highly effective program for our families.

Rebecca Grossman

Senior Manager of Family and Community Resources

SightLife

Rebecca Grossman, BSW, is the Senior Manager of Family and Community Resources and oversees the Aftercare Program. Her unique background fits well for this rewarding and complex position. Rebecca’s formal education began with a degree in social work from the University of Vermont. Rebecca has continued her education by earning certificates from University of Washington in Adult Education and Public Relations and has taken numerous courses to become a death doula. She also co-produced a live storytelling program for 11 years. She is an advocate, a storyteller, and has cultivated a truly remarkable community to support and connect SightLife donor families.