The Foundation

The Kyle Zuleg Foundation

The mission of the Kyle Zuleg Foundation is two-fold:

The Kyle Zuleg Foundation mission is two-fold: to promote organ donation and support donor families as well as provide scholarships to students pursuing a degree in media communications to honor Kyle’s dreams of being a sports broadcaster.

Supporting Organ Donor Families

One of the missions of the Kyle Zuleg Foundation is to help support organ donor families. In honor of those who choose and are able to give the gift of life through organ donation, a monogrammed “Forever in our Hearts” blankets is given to families as they sit at the bedside and wait while their loved one is prepared to give the ultimate gift of life. Our hope is that these blankets will provide warmth, comfort and support to these families during this very difficult time. Kyle’s first blanket was given to a family at Edward Hospital on August 24, 2011. The blanket program has successfully grown from being a few blankets in a garage to being hundreds of blankets being distributed to over 180 Gift of Hope affiliated hospitals in Illinois and Northwest Indiana.
Organ donor matching for Kyle was a long process. The right person had to be found and the perfect match had to be made. As much as we wanted Kyle with us we knew he was wanted and needed somewhere else. It was a couple of days before Kyle’s seven organs were matched to his 5 recipients. Although we never had the conversation with Kyle about being an organ donor we knew that was the kind of person Kyle was. This was confirmed after coming home and seeing Kyle’s Donate Life bracelet sitting on his desk in his room where he often sat and did his homework. Looking back at pictures Kyle was often seen wearing his Donate Life bracelet.

Kyle’s blankets make a difference for donor families.
Here are some of the ways they have provided comfort and support.

We feel blessed to have been held by your family when my husband was in the hospital. May your work continue to bring peace and love to many families in the years to come.
My daughter was born full term but was not breathing. MRI and EEG results revealed that her brain was profoundly affected from injuries that were unclear at the time. She was the first infant born at his hospital to qualify for organ donation. Her 2 big sisters were able to meet her before her breathing tubes were removed. Your blanket kept us warm as we rocked her and sang worship songs to her. Thank you for your generous gift.
Your blanket warmed my heart during a very difficult time. Thank you
The Life Team at Blessing Hospital presented it’s first “Kyle blanket” to an organ donor family. The blanket provided meaning and comfort for the family and it remained on the patient’s bed until they were taken for organ retrieval. Thank you for all you do to support those families that are faced with this difficult decision.
I want to tell you how much it meant to our family to have received your blanket at the hospital. It wasn’t just the warmth. It helped me feel not so alone during the time spent in the hospital.
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Here is how the Kyle Zuleg Foundation has made a difference for many scholarship recipients

Thank you so much for granting me with this scholarship. It is an honor to receive it.
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for awarding me with Kyle’s memorial scholarship. I cannot put into words how happy and proud you have made me and my family to be recognized with this prestigious honor. Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to carry out Kyle’s dreams! I promise I will make him proud.
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Kyle had aspirations of becoming a sports broadcaster. Kyle was a member of the Wildcat Weekly News program and always enjoyed being a commentator. One of the first fundraising events was initiated by the Neuqua Valley High School volleyball players. It was just a few months after Kyle’s accident that Kyle’s teammates got together and sold Kyle Adam Zuleg #17 wristbands to remember Kyle as a person and an athlete and because it was something they could keep with them wherever they went. Kyle’s jersey number was 17.

Kyle Shines On Scholarships

One of the missions of the Kyle Zuleg Foundation is to provide scholarships to students who want to pursue a media communications degree. The first Kyle Zuleg Foundation Scholarship was announced on May 25, 2011 at Neuqua’s Senior Awards Assembly. The first recipient of the scholarship was Jack Korte. From 2011 to 2018 several other students received scholarships from other district 203 and 204 schools. Over $50,000 in scholarship money had been awarded to graduating high school seniors. After 2018 the Foundation condensed the scholarship program to one yearly $1,500 scholarship for a student at Neuqua Valley. Below are the Neuqua Valley scholarship recipients.

make a difference

In supporting the Kyle Zuleg Foundation you will help to provide blankets to over 180 hospitals for organ donor families and help provide scholarships to high school seniors.
donate now

become an organ donor

Gift of Hope, a federally designated not for profit organization, works tirelessly to help promote and educate about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Signing up to be an organ donor gives someone else a chance at a new life and helps to start a new story for that someone. Be a HERO. Be part of the story. Kyle Shines On….Will You?
learn more about gift of hope