Paint it Forward!

Organ donation is not a subject that usually pops up in casual conversation, something Todd and Tara Storch – founders of Taylor’s Gift Foundation – know well. So ‘Taylor Blue’ was born.

The couple established Taylor’s Gift after losing their 13-year-old daughter, Taylor, in a skiing accident in March 2010. Taylor’s Gift supports and promotes official Donate Life organ donor registrations in the United States. 

“We knew we needed a ‘conversation starter’ about organ donation,” Tara says. “We’re aware that this isn’t an easy topic for most people, so we decided we needed something that could make it easier to talk about.

 “Since our largest support group comes from women 18-44, we decided that a nail polish would be a great way to spark conversation. 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 some day.’ 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.’

“We introduced ‘Taylor Blue’ last year for our Paint It Forward Legacy Gift campaign, hoping it would spark conversation. And boy, did it! Even men painted their thumb!”

April is National Donate Life Month. ‘Taylor Blue,’ created by OPI, will be available for purchase on www.taylorsgift.org from through the end of April. The 2013 Paint It Forward campaign raised $40,000. ‘Taylor Blue’ was sold and shipped to every state in the United States, every province in Canada, and also had worldwide sales. The goal for 2014 is $100,000.

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.

“The name of our Legacy Gift campaign – Paint It Forward – is a play on the words Pay It Forward,” Tara explains. “To us, it means that people are spreading the message of Taylor's Gift with this great tool called ‘Taylor Blue.’ They have the opportunity to help someone else's life one day. This color became the link that made organ donation an easy topic to talk about, discuss and share. And it all started with a conversation on how you can 'outlive yourself.'”


About Taylor’s Gift Foundation
Taylor’s Gift Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Taylor’s Gift Foundation was founded by 2010 with a mission to ‘Regift Life, Renew Health and Restore Families’ by increasing official organ donor registries. Taylor’s Gift Foundation also sponsors the Donate Life Rose Bowl Parade, provides Taylor’s Gift Scholarships to graduating seniors and is launching Taylor’s Legacy Gift Grants to help those touched by organ donation with financial difficulties. For more information, visit www.taylorsgift.org  or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TaylorsGift