Our Mission
Our mission is to educate families about the importance of organ donation and what we can do to help those who are undergoing the transplant process. We provide volunteer opportunities for people in our community to work with hospitals, such as the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the UCSF Benioff Hospital, and organizations such as Organs R Us and Donor Network West. In addition, This Side Up fundraises for the Lucile Packard Hospital and the UCSF transplant hospitals through t-shirt sales, CPR classes, and community outreach.
How this side up started
In March 2017, the founder Maddy Wang's cousin, Justin, passed away suddenly from Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia at a very young age of 21. Tetralogy of Fallot is a heart defect that babies are born with and causes five abnormalities in the heart. As a child, he went through many operations, but it never stopped him from being the energetic and loving boy he was. Later on in his life, he eventually outgrew his artificial valve he received at a young age and needed a transplant, but unfortunately, his operations did not go as expected.
Someone once said, "Although he may have had a small heart, he had the biggest heart in life."
In honor of her cousin, in July of 2017, This Side Up was started to spread awareness of organ donor awareness and aid those in need of organ and tissue transplants. To do so, our team works closely with various organizations, including Donor Network West, Organs R Us, the Lucile Packard Hospital, and UCSF Benioff Hospital, to fundraise for transplant families by selling t-shirts and hosting CPR/First Aid classes. In addition, Madeleine has created a club, the Pink Dot Club, at Foothill High School to educate high school students about organ donation and what they can do to get involved.
Someone once said, "Although he may have had a small heart, he had the biggest heart in life."
In honor of her cousin, in July of 2017, This Side Up was started to spread awareness of organ donor awareness and aid those in need of organ and tissue transplants. To do so, our team works closely with various organizations, including Donor Network West, Organs R Us, the Lucile Packard Hospital, and UCSF Benioff Hospital, to fundraise for transplant families by selling t-shirts and hosting CPR/First Aid classes. In addition, Madeleine has created a club, the Pink Dot Club, at Foothill High School to educate high school students about organ donation and what they can do to get involved.
About the founder
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Maddy Wang started the foundation at 15 years old and has continued it since. She is attending UC Berkeley as a Public Health and Data Science. She worked in many leadership positions in a variety of clubs at her high school including, Model UN, Empowering Youth Through Financial Literacy (EYTFL), and the Pink Dot Club. Madeleine has coordinated projects for This Side Up all across the Bay Area. She has always had a passion for her science and math classes and hopes to pursue a career in the STEAM field.
Maddy has been recognized throughout her high school career for her involvement in the community through This Side Up and other work. She has received the regional and district Violet Richardson Award from Soroptimist International in 2018, the Tri-Valley Hero: Rising Star Award in 2017, and two grants from Workday in 2019 and 2020. In addition, she was selected as the keynote speaker at the Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE) Fall Gala in 2019. Lastly, this year, Maddy was invited to speak on the topic of finding inspiration in your work at a school-wide event, Who We Are. The link to her speech can be found here. With a love for learning and strong desire to help people, Maddy founded This Side Up because she saw the need for increased awareness regarding organ transplants. |
This Side Up Foundation is a 501(c)3 certified non-profit organization.