America’s New Year Celebration – the 2024 Rose Parade takes place at 8am pst on January 1st in Pasadena, CA and this year will feature floats promoting transplant and organ donation and donors, recipients and transplant advocates will be walking with the floats.

CORE Kidney Foundation will be one of the organizations’ spreading awareness about kidney health screening. CORE Kidney is a patient support and advocacy group helping patients navigate their kidney journey. Its specially designed kidney-shaped float will honor living kidney donors and kidney recipients.  Their  float will center around the theme, “The Gift of Life: A Tune That Never Fades.” The kidney-shaped float will seat living donors and kidney health champions in a beautiful colorful garden as they swing from the tree of life. The floral setting is gorgeously decorated with red and green roses, sunflowers, butterflies, sunflowers, a green ribbon, and a hummingbird at the top of the float — each of which has its own form of symbolism:

• Hummingbirds: in native cultures, hummingbirds are seen as spiritual guides who bring healing to the suffering.
• Green ribbon: a symbol of kidney health
• Butterflies: represent transformation and rebirth. Purple butterflies also represent lupus nephritis.
• The tree represents both life and knowledge — symbolizing the continued need for education and kidney health awareness.
• Red roses represent kidney donors.
• Green roses represent kidney recipients.