NORTH LIBERTY, IOWA (December 23, 2025) — Iowa Donor Network has selected April Wilson of Denver, Iowa, and Natalie McCleary of Fruitland, Iowa, to be honored on the 2026 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade® Float in Pasadena, California on January 1. McCleary, who passed away in 2022, became an organ donor whose gifts transformed six lives. She will be honored with a floragraph portrait placed on the float. Wilson, a two-time living donor, will be recognized as a Walker Honoree and will walk alongside the float.
Wilson, McCleary’s family, and their loved ones will travel to Pasadena, California to help decorate the float and watch the parade live.
The 2026 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade® float, Treasure Every Moment Together, will once again shine a spotlight on the transformative power of donation. Featured in the 137th Rose Parade® presented by Honda, the float will travel down Colorado Boulevard alongside dozens of floral floats, marching bands, and equestrian units.
This year’s Rose Parade® theme, The Magic in Teamwork, celebrates the collective effort and collaboration required to make extraordinary things possible. Organ and tissue donation exemplifies this concept — bringing together hospitals, organ-procurement organizations, transplant centers, donors, and recipients.
When an organ and/or tissue donor gives the gift of life, it represents the ultimate act of teamwork, perfectly reflecting the theme chosen by Tournament of Roses President Mark Leavens.
Floragraph portraits made from organic materials will honor donors who gave the gift of life, while transplant recipients will ride on the float to share their gratitude. Living donors, including Wilson, will walk alongside the float, demonstrating the lifesaving impact of living donation.
If you are experiencing a mental-health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for immediate, confidential support.
Visit Iowa Donor Network’s Donate Life Rose Parade media resources: https://www.iowadonornetwork.org/donate-life-rose-parade.
