Donor families meet through special Rose Parade connection

We had the privilege of honoring the lifesaving legacies of both Dom Calata and Marty Palmanteer with floral portraits that adorned the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float and debuted to the public on Jan. 1, 2024, in the Pasadena Rose Parade. This meaningful tribute brought their two families together in an unexpected way.

Meet Carrie Holland, one of the volunteers behind the captivating floragraph designs.

Carrie decorated both Marty and Dom’s portraits for the Rose Parade. She is photographed here holding Dom’s floragraph during the decorating process.

Carrie’s husband received a liver transplant in 2011 that transformed both of their lives. This experience motivated Carrie and her extended family to register as organ and tissue donors. Her brother Marty Palmanteer made that choice as a way to provide hope for others. When Marty passed away in 2016, his family knew and respected his wishes to be an organ donor. He saved two other people with the donation of his kidneys.

Dom dedicated his life to serving others, and when he tragically lost his life in the line of duty in early 2022, his wife Erin knew that he was a registered organ donor. Dom saved four lives, restored sight to two people, and healed dozens more through organ and tissue donation.

Erin connected with Carrie at a mixer event for donor families in Pasadena as part of the festivities that led up to the Rose Parade. This was a special moment of recognition for each other’s loss and the connection they share.

Each donor’s floragraph was placed on the parade float by the donor’s family. Here, Carrie and Marty’s wife Rose pose in front of Marty’s floragraph after it had been placed. They also helped decorate the parade float with roses, corn and other plant material prior to its debut in the Rose Parade.