The Youth Coalition For Organ Donation
Founded in 2017, The YCOD is a youth-led organization advocating for presumed consent organ donation legislation — addressing the crisis that costs 17 lives every single day.
The organ donation crisis in numbers.
Approximately 7,500 organs are wasted annually
The lowest in the entire country
Racial disparities in transplant waiting times
60% of all waitlisted patients are people of color. Black Americans make up 27% of the waiting list but only 13% of donors.
Donor registration rates by state
New York consistently ranks last in organ donor designation rate.
A seventeen-year-old's answer to a systemic failure.
In August 2017, Evan Roden co-founded The Youth Coalition For Organ Donation in East Aurora, New York alongside Henry McLaughlin, Grace Tapani, and Sage Sellers. The premise was simple, the problem was not: more than 100,000 Americans wait on the transplant list at any given time, 17 die every day, and New York has the lowest organ donor designation rate in the nation — hovering between 37% and 42%.
The YCOD's primary legislative vehicle is NY Assembly Bill A07954 — an opt-out organ donation bill that would create a presumed consent system at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Under this model, adults would be registered as organ donors by default unless they actively decline. The 2021 revised draft of the bill was written by Evan himself.
The YCOD's work sits at the intersection of public health and racial justice. Black Americans make up 27% of the organ transplant waiting list but represent only 13% of organ donors. The average kidney wait time for a Black patient is 1,335 days — nearly twice the 734-day wait for white patients. Sixty percent of all waitlisted patients are people of color.
Over seven years, Evan led the organization through national media campaigns (CBC, Yahoo News, Business Insider), built partnerships with WaitList Zero, ONE8FIFTY, and the Chris Klug Foundation, managed social media strategy via Hootsuite and Trello, designed the brand identity, and was nominated for the 2021 American Red Cross Real Heroes Education Award for this work.
Beyond the opt-out bill, Evan advocated for the Living Donor Support Act in New York State — legislation designed to remove financial barriers for living organ donors by providing reimbursement for lost wages, travel, and child care expenses. The bill passed, making New York one of the first states to formally support living donors and addressing a key inequity in the donation system.
The work is not finished. But the framework is built, legislation has been passed, and the coalition endures.
Seven years in the making.
Founded The YCOD
Co-founded with Henry McLaughlin, Grace Tapani, and Sage Sellers in East Aurora, NY.
Coalition Building
Established partnerships with WaitList Zero, ONE8FIFTY, and the Chris Klug Foundation.
Legislative Introduction
Opt-out organ donation bill introduced in the NY Assembly.
National Media Campaign
Coverage by CBC, Yahoo News, Business Insider, WKBW, and Spectrum News.
Bill Revision
Evan personally drafted the revised NY Assembly Bill A07954 — presumed consent at the DMV.
Real Heroes Nomination
Nominated for the American Red Cross Real Heroes Education Award.
Continued Advocacy
Sustained lobbying, social media campaigns, and coalition management while attending Tulane.
Living Donor Support Act Passed
Advocated for the NYS Living Donor Support Act — removing financial barriers for living organ donors through reimbursement for lost wages, travel, and child care. The bill passed into law.
Transition
After 7+ years of leadership, Evan transitioned focus while the framework and coalition persist.