When Mrs. Barkocy shared her organ donor story with the driver’s education classes, current junior Vaidehi Desai resonated and shared the power of her story.

Mrs. Barkocy’s life was saved by an organ donation. Through Vaidehi’s nonprofit organization, A Second Chance Project, the junior intends to save many more.

A Second Chance Project, founded in May 2024 after nearly four months of planning, aims to educate others about organ donation and transplant and aid patients undergoing the process. Organ donation refers to transferring an organ or tissue from a donor to a patient who needs it to survive or improve his or her health – for instance, in the case of severe organ failure.

“11,129 patients—about 30 a day—who had been listed for an organ transplant died without receiving one [in 2021],” according to the National Institutes of Health.

“My grandma is currently needing a liver transplant, and I’ve seen her struggle with a lot of pain, and I just really connected this with Mrs. Barkocy’s story,” Vaidehi said.

The student-led initiative held five events so far, from a car wash in September and a crochet event with the organization Toys for Joys in December to their most recent, a ShopRite can shake in late January. To date, we’ve raised around $2,000 for our cause, said Vaidehi.

On March 12, the team also hosted a seminar for the eighth graders at Thomas Jefferson Middle School about the process and importance of organ donation.

“Our mission is to touch as many lives as we can. Even as we have set up various programs for spreading awareness and raising funds, we continue to look for new opportunities to spread our reach,” she said.

“Organ donation is a topic that affects not just the patients but also their families. It is something that is widespread and needs to be brought to attention.