Chamber Insider Blog

Thanks to Dave Morgan for answering a few questions with us!

1.  What is your role at your company?

I am co-founder and president of RecycleLife.org.

(Dave is pictured on the far left in this photo)

2.  What is your Recycle Life’s mission/purpose? 

Our mission is to help the patients and families that are pre and post organ transplant. When I was going through the transplant process my wife and I struggled to afford travelling from Virginia to Philadelphia every week or two weeks for follow up visits and checkups. A lot of people are not lucky to have great health insurance coverage for the many doctor visits and the massive amount of medications that will be required. In addition to the medical bills that pile up in the process. RecycleLife.org wants to help people with this burden. We want to help alleviate the stress of bills and share how we made it through the transplant process. Encourage the patient and their families to stay positive and show them they are not alone in this fight. 

3.  How did your career start out?

In 2009 I underwent a heart and liver transplant and the hospital I was referred to was Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. My pre &post transplant check ups were every week and the three-hour trip to and from Philly drained the bank account. After meeting other patients, I realized that I was lucky. I had great health insurance and a support system. So many other patients were not as lucky and I knew I had to help them.

4.  How did you get to where you are today in your career?

Hard work sounds cliché, so I’ll just say with the help and support of family and friends. Honestly, the way I got to this point was to listen to good sound advice from people who inspired me tobe a better person.

5.  When did you know you wanted to be involved in the nonprofit world?

Starting a NPO was never a thought in my mind. Until the day my brother was told he also needed a heart and liver transplant. It was then that I realized my own experiences and struggles during the transplant process can benefit others and all of those lessons and struggles I experienced  factored into why I not only want to be involved with the nonprofit field, but to start my own NPO with the knowledge and knowhow from all of my experiences in the transplant community.

6.  How did you get involved at the Chamber?

My wife suggested I should look into becoming a chamber member after she had met some of the chamber employees at her job in the local community owned newspaper – Loudoun Now.

7.  What is your favorite memory at your job so far?

Favorite memory of my job so far was back in 2014 when RecycleLife was asked to help organize a special fundraiser for a young girl who needed a second kidney transplant and could not afford the cost of the surgery due to lack of insurance. The goal was toraise $5k and we not only raised the money, but the family we helped turned right back around and donated a portion of the funds back to RecycleLife to help us with other families in need.

8.  What is your favorite part about your job?

Seeing the smiles on the families and patients we help.

9.  What is a hidden passion of yours that people may not be aware of?

I love music. I am an advocate for local music as well as a musician that loves all music no matter the culture.

10.  What is an area that people can help/volunteer with RecycleLife?

We are always in need of young volunteers to not only help us at our events, but to also take away a little knowledge of the importance of Organ Donation and help us spread the word about our mission.

11.  What is your favorite thing about working at a nonprofit?

Helping people in need and talking to patients and their families about my experiences with Organ Donation in an effort to calm any nerves they may have  before, during, and most importantly after transplant surgery.  

Check out RecycleLife.org for more information and “like” their page on Facebook!

Photo from RecycleLife.org

(Photo caption) “Meet a few of our staff members. This picture is from one of our many events this past summer. From left to right – Dave Morgan, President and Founder of RecycleLife & Heart and Liver transplant recipient 2009. Marc Otterback, Secretary of the board of directors as well as a long time volunteer and friend. Chris Hurt, long time volunteer and family friend. Mike Ortega, chairman of board of directors as well as long time volunteer and family friend.”