Congratulations to our Q1 Good Neighbor Bella Chaffey!
April 2, 2022
One act of kindness can give someone else a second chance at life. It was an eye-opening experience when Bella’s brother, Alexander, received a life-saving heart transplant in September 2017. Someone’s choice to become an organ donor saved his life. Despite the suffering and misfortune prior to his transplant, our Q1 2022 Good Neighbor Award Winner Bella Chaffey, Windermere Real Estate, assured that Alexander’s transplant would have a positive rippling effect.
She started the organization Alexander’s Hope in 2017 with the aspiration to advocate for organ donation awareness. This program provides heart screenings once a month at local high schools to screen youths for undiagnosed heart conditions, while also teaching them CPR and how to operate Automated External Defibrillators. Alexander’s Hope was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2019.
In partnership with the Nick of Time Foundation (NoTF), more than 24,000 hearts have been screened and over 500 youths have been found to have a heart condition.
This month, a total of 331 youths were screened, with six of them needing a follow-up due to a diagnosed heart condition that they would have otherwise not known about.
“Alexander’s Hope assists in catching undiagnosed heart conditions in youths throughout our community,” said Bella. “If the screenings that we conduct had been done on Alexander, he never would have needed a heart transplant. My family and I know what it looks like to nearly lose a loved one to something so preventable and we now do everything we can to make sure others don’t have to go through the same pain we did, or worse.”
As the Founder and current President, Bella conducts all her work completely volunteer-based with a Board of Directors and Interns who help with planning all heart screenings, their annual auction, and annual Valentine’s Day Dash in Kirkland.
With Alexander’s Hope, Bella hopes that more people will become registered organ donors so that many more will get the opportunity for a second chance.
Along with Alexander’s Hope, Bella sits on the board and volunteers with many other nonprofits, including the Forgotten Children’s Fund, a local nonprofit that provides Christmas gifts to underprivileged children, Gloryland Missions International, a local nonprofit that provides assistance to children and women in rural Kenya, Wet Noses Foster Paws, a dog rescue that saves and rehabilitates street dogs and cats, and Unega Mountain Dog Rescue, where she helps save Livestock Guardian Dogs in Idaho.
Bella welcomes you to get on their email list for upcoming youth heart screenings by emailing bella@alexandershope.org or sign up for their newsletter on alexandershope.org.
