OMAHA, NE. – August 1, 2017 – Matt Graves will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Lane Thomas Foundation, established to honor his beloved son, Lane, and whose mission is to support families of children needing life-saving organ transplants.

Graves, who served as CDO of Infogroup for nearly a decade, left the company to help launch and grow the Foundation with his wife, Melissa, after the loss of their son in 2016.

“Melissa and I created the Foundation in honor of our beautiful boy, Lane. Lane loved children and we knew that we had to turn this tragedy into good for other families. We have been overwhelmed by the support and love we have received by our community and around the nation. We believe we have found an impactful way for us to help others in similar circumstances and ease some of their burdens.”

Initially, the Foundation was hosted by the Omaha Community Foundation, but has now received their own 501(c)(3) public charity status and will launch independently in mid-September. The Foundation has already helped 15 families.

“We are proud of what we have already accomplished in such a short time,” Graves said. “Melissa and I are committed to doing everything in our power to help other families fight for the lives of their children.”

The Foundation will work in collaboration with Children’s Hospital and Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine in support of their Pediatric Transplant Programs. The primary goal includes keeping families together while relieving them of financial burdens such as lodging, transportation and food so they can focus on their child during their transplant journey. The foundation is also focused on reducing the number of children who die each year because no donor match could be found.

ABOUT THE LANE THOMAS FOUNDATION
The Foundation was named Lane Thomas because if Lane was ever asked his name, he would say, “I’m Lane Thomas, I’m two”. Lane was a beaming, spirited, and loving child who cared for his family deeply. Creating The Lane Thomas Foundation is the best way to pass on the legacy he left on this world.

Together with their daughter, Ella, Matt and Melissa have created The Lane Thomas Foundation to serve as a beacon of hope in the depths of despair and to create a strong base of support for families in crisis. The Graves family understands the importance of community support and the kindness of strangers when it is critical, and The Lane Thomas Foundation is committed to standing behind those who need it the most.