COTA Receives $25,000 Grant From Walgreens

Walgreens has donated $25,000 to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to provide medication grant support for families facing a life-saving transplant. These funds will be used to provide financial assistance to transplant patients and their families who need additional support to manage prescription drug costs.

The $25,000 Walgreens grant will help offset the financial needs facing COTA families. “This support from Walgreens benefits our families tremendously. Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 600 families have submitted requests for medication assistance, which is an increase from prior years,” said Rick Lofgren, President of COTA. “Walgreens grant support will make a substantial difference for our families who struggle to pay multiple, monthly $30 prescription co-payments.”

During the past two years, COTA has successfully developed and leveraged virtual fundraising tools with outstanding outcomes. Each COTA family depends on their volunteers’ ability to raise funds for transplant-related expenses and the safety net COTA provides. However, sometimes these efforts need to be supplemented with targeted grants and funds. Grants from businesses like Walgreens help to ensure patient needs and access to critical medications are met.

During the pandemic, $6.7 million overall has been allocated to more than 1,500 COTA families. Lofgren anticipates that during 2022 COTA will pay approximately $3.6 million in transplant-related expenses, with $300,000 of that for prescription medications.

About the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA)

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association is a national charity that provides fundraising assistance to transplant families. Since 1986, COTA’s priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a life-saving transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds. 100% of funds raised in honor of patients are used for transplant-related expenses.