One Legacy Donate Life
The 2025 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float was designed by Charles Meier and built by Artistic Entertainment Services (AES).
By Earl Heath
The 2025 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float was designed by Charles Meier and built by Artistic Entertainment Services (AES).
It joined some 39 other floats in the iconic 136th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. Ed Morales, the current Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association President, chose the 2025 Rose Parade theme, ‘Best Day Ever’ This theme is a celebration of life’s best moments – those unexpected times that bring a smile, warm our hearts, and fill us with joy. While for donor families, losing a loved one represents one of the most difficult moments of their lives, organ, eye, and tissue donation brings a ray of hope.
The OneLegacy ‘Let Your Life Soar’ float theme showcased the Japanese culture and the tradition of Children’s Day, or Kodomo no Hi in Japan.
The float honored 44 people, including Organ and tissue 18 people who are recipients and living donors who walked next to Tom or rode on the floats.
“My mom had a lot of courage and was a gining person,” said Volunteer Christine Hardison. She wore a shirt that had ‘Daughter of a donor’ written on it. Her mom Lousie Schuch donated a cornea and skin that helped at least four people people get back to a somewhat “normal life.”
Her mom has been gone three years but Christene finds her way back to the Donate to life float every as a contributing vonunteer. “I find is fullfilling and you hear more stories how people are helped by donors ,said the Thousands Oak resident.
There were 26 deceased donors were honored with floral portraits
The float included four children who were honored with floral portraits, including Drake Ruiz, Hayden Elias, Jaxson Terrell Love, and Sire Porchia.
