Violin teacher needed to join five-year-old Sault art school

Marquette company Range Telecommunications as honored in June by Michigan's Secretary of State, Terri Lynn Land, for its contributions to helping organ donation programs since 1983.

Range received the Shining Star Award from Land's office, which is given for outstanding work in promoting organ donor awareness.

The company began its support of organ donation when the nationwide LifePage program began in 1983. The program links those waiting for an organ transplant to transplant coordinators by using pagers from Range, provided free through the program. Then, Range added its own touch to the program by offering its telephone answering service as a contact point between U.P. transplant patients and transplant hospitals.

Land cited Range for keeping up its program and answering service even after the national program ended in 2002, and for speeding up the contact process from hospital to patient when a transplant is available, by collecting phone numbers from friends and family to help get the news across as fast as possible if an organ becomes available.

"Range Telecommunications has been linking possible organ transplant recipients and hospitals for 27 years, saving countless lives," says Land. "I commend the company for its continuing dedication to organ donation and its selfless service to the residents of the Upper Peninsula."

Land presented the award to company president David Savolainen at the Secretary of State's Marquette office.

"We are very much honored to receive this award," Savolainen says. "As we all know, when an organ becomes available for a potential recipient, time and communications are very critical. Range Telecommunications has been able to provide this point of contact. The recipient's knowledge that we are teaming with them while they are waiting has relieved a lot of their stress. Consequently, the knowledge that one of our clients has had a successful transplant has justified our support of this program."

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: David Savolainen, Range Telecommunications