Lisa Atkins and her son Johnevan, who received a liver transplant five years ago, were also on hand to encourage taxpayers to take the time to contribute. "Because the next person who might need (the organ fund) is them."

Johnevan, she said, had appeared to be perfectly healthy for the first 10 years of his life, then turned out to have a terminal, hereditary illness. Because of his compromised immune system following the transplant, the family had to close the day-care business they ran in their home, which meant lost income in addition to big medical bills. The fund helped them pay for expenses not covered by insurance.

Monies donated to the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund, which last year received $136,000 from the tax checkoffs, are distributed to agencies that provide services to homeless families.

"People don't realize how much difference $2 can make," Atkinson said.

---

E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com