St. Martin Football holds “Donate Life Night” in support of organ donation

We’re just one sleep away from week two of the high school football season — but Friday night, the game at Joe Barlow Stadium will be about more than just football.

The St. Martin Yellow Jackets are hosting the East Central Hornets for Donate Life Night — using the power of a Friday night football game to shine a light on the life-changing gift of organ donation. Players and fans will be encouraged to wear blue and green in support of the Donate Life campaign, with success stories of organ donation being recognized before kickoff. For St. Martin head coach Woody Cagnolatti, this cause is deeply personal.

“My wife and I are really big in the donate life foundation. My wife is a transplant survivor. She had a liver transplant when she was 14 months old and lives a full life as a 31-year-old beautiful woman. I’m incredibly lucky to have her. We’re just promoting organ donation because if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have my wife and together we wouldn’t have our beautiful daughter,” said Woody Cagnolatti. “The donate life foundation is going to be present at our game. They’re going to have a tent set up giving away t-shirts and things like that, but also having ways for folks to sign up to become organ donors. You can save 13 lives. Every person can save 13 lives with organ donation. No pressure on anybody. It’s not a political statement or anything like that. It’s just to celebrate the gift of life and our school has gotten behind it and the community has really gotten behind it. It’s going to be really exciting.”

So if you’re headed to Joe Barlow Stadium Friday night, wear your blue and green — and join the Yellow Jackets in celebrating the gift of life. Because sometimes, the biggest impact made under the Friday night lights has nothing to do with the score.