Tyler Patnaude Foundation

"The purpose in life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make a difference that you lived, and lived well." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Tyler Patnaude Foundation is a 501c3, non-profit, which exists to live out Tyler's legacy of friendship and giving to others.

Youth & Government District 5 Conference 2009

Youth & Government District 5 Conference 2009

Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list and an average of 21 people die each day because the organs they need are not donated in time.
Sadly, 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor.

Click here to register now as an organ, eye, and tissue donor.

Tyler's heartfelt motivation to improve organ donation awareness dated back to junior high in Texas.  It was his personal experience and a Youth & Government project that prompted him to take action.

Tyler proposed a bill be passed in the state of Texas amending Drivers Education training and school health curriculums to include information that would help young people make an educated decision and save countless lives each year.

His desire to see more people benefit from organ donation was fueled by his love for his grandpa, a kidney recipient.  Tyler wanted to remove the uncertainties and dispel myths that often cause people to turn down the opportunity to register as a organ donor.  He wanted to ensure the curriculum presented to teens, and their parents, prior to receiving their driver's license included accurate health facts and actual testimonies from lives saved.

In his research, Tyler sited many states, specifically Virginia, which had adopted this type of added education.  Tyler unfortunately did not get to see this legislation passed in Texas.

In his final act of courage on earth Tyler is a "Giver of Life". He gave from his heart of kindness, love, and acceptance, giving that others may have life and hope.  Only later did our family remember that Tyler's grandpa's kidney came from a young man that also died in a car accident.