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Paint It Forward With 'Taylor Blue' And Support Organ Donation

By Carissa Hutchinson
@cnhutch1991

Did you know that April is National Organ Donation Awareness Month? You can help raise awareness by painting your nails with Taylor Blue.

The Paint if Forward campaign was created by 'Taylor's Gift,' a non-profit organization that helps make organ donation an easier topic to talk about. It was founded in 2010 by Todd and Tara Storch after they lost their 13-year-old daughter, Taylor, in a skiing accident and realized there needed to be more awareness about this topic.

"Taylor had the most beautiful eyes in a gorgeous blue and always got compliments on them, even as a baby. Only a week before the accident, she said to me, 'Mom, I love the color of my eyes. That's the color I want for my bridesmaids dresses someday.' From that point on, that color was precious to us, and there was no question the color of the nail polish would be 'Taylor Blue.'"

Together with OPI (Odontorium Products Inc), 'Taylor Blue' was introduced last year and it got a lot of attention. Even men were painting their thumbs to show support. This included Jeff Probst, host of the CBS reality show Survivor. When Todd and Tara appeared on The Jeff Probst Show he painted his thumb nail to show his support and registered as an organ donor. More recently, Probst has become a spokesperson for Taylor's Gift.

Last year the Paint It Forward campaign raised $40,000 and was sold worldwide. The goal for 2014 is $100,000. 'Taylor Blue,' will be available for purchase on TaylorsGift.org through the end of April. Net proceeds from Paint It Forward support the mission of Taylor's Gift and its Legacy Gift program, which provides financial help to families touched by organ donation.

So, help Paint it Forward this April and get your own bottle of 'Taylor Blue' nail polish.

Carissa Hutchinson is a senior at Ferris State University studying television and digital media production. She's currently on two internships with CBS 62/CW50 Detroit and M-1 Studios in Ferndale. While attending college she was a very active member of Delta Zeta and the Media Communications Association. Take a look at Carissa's work at carissanhutchinson.wordpress.com

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