About Us

The Katie Caples Foundation was started in 1998 by the family of Katie Caples, a young high school student from Jacksonville who became an organ and tissue donor after not surviving the trauma of an automobile accident.

The Katie Ride started in 2005 as a cycling event for riders of all levels to raise awareness about making an organ donation commitment. The Katie Walk, which was added in 2009, is another opportunity to tell the story, raise funds and support this mission.

The cycling event offers courses of varying distance from 7 to 100 miles with full support along the way. The Katie Walk offers a 5K and 10K course through beautiful Fort Clinch State Park.

Funds raised by both events help to promote organ and tissue donation and deliver important educational programs to high school freshman and sophomores.

Our Mission

There are currently over 107,000 individuals waiting for transplants in America. Every 10 minutes someone is added to the waiting list and every 90 minutes someone dies for lack of an organ. We believe we can help change that.

In 2004, the Katie Caples Foundation selected LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services as its partner to implement its organ donor education program. LifeQuest is the area’s organ procurement organization that serves 36 counties in northern Florida.

LifeQuest utilizes the nationally successful Decision:Donation syllabus and program developed by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services to introduce organ donation at the high school level.

It is estimated that TV coverage/interviews, newspaper and magazine print and personal presentations about organ donation and the Katie Ride for Life reaches over 250,000 First Coast residents each year.

In addition, the goal with our educational programs is to reach every high school in the First Coast area, including 90 schools, and present to 15,000 freshman and sophomore students each year.

The Katie Caples Foundation is a recognized 501c3 non-profit corporation and is registered in the state of Florida.