By Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee

The regional organ, eye and tissue donor agency serving Sacramento and neighboring counties led the nation in organ recovery.

Sierra Donor Services was the top agency in the country in the number of organs recovered per donor at 3.78 for the first nine months of last year, the latest statistics released. The national mean is 3.13 organs per donor.

SDS serves nearly 4 million people in Northern California and Northern Nevada. The nonprofit agency’s service area includes El Dorado, Amador, Placer, Colusa, Calaveras, Nevada, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba counties.

SDS also for the first time in 26 years saved 243 lives through organ transplants – a 65 percent increase in organs transplanted over the previous year.

Tissue donors were up 17 percent to 698, and eye donations were up 40 percent to 352 last year.

New York Times best-selling author and aviator Dale Brown talks about his life, career and avocations on April 5 at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

Brown volunteers for Angel Flight West, a group that volunteer their time, skills, and aircraft to fly needy medical patients free of charge to receive medical treatment. He is also a mission pilot in the Civil Air Patrol, which performs search and rescue, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, surveillance, and many other missions in support of the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies.

He supports a number of organizations to promote law enforcement, education, literacy, and support for military veterans and their families.

For more information on the 7-9pm event, contact Shelia Leijon at (775) 832.1310 or shelia_leijon@ivgid.org.

Lynn Gillette, president of Sierra Nevada College, talks about what’s new, changing and the future of the college as the guest at the Fireside Chat in the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences room 139/141 on March 20 from 7-9pm.

Gillette is well versed in the growth and changes at the Incline Village college having served as the executive vice president and provost at the college for the past four years overseeing all academic departments as well as the registrar’s office, financial aid, information technology, admissions, student affairs, food services, library, and academic support services.

Gillette brings a unique focus and hands-on approach to his position having taught and served in leadership at several top universities.

This is the “information age” and “everything is on line” but what, why, how, and where does the small business professional begin?

Find out the answers March 30 from 2-4pm in a seminar called Finding the Easy in E-commerce at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

Gene Romagna, business consultant for the Northeastern California SBDC, and Anthony Howard, owner-founder of HowardSEMGroup.com, will host this workshop for Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

This workshop is $20 for chamber members, $30 for non-members. It includes entry to the 2012 Business Expo. Reservations are required. Contact Emily Abernathy at (775) 588.1728, ext. 303.

Born with one leg, 23-year-old Anthony Robles, 23, went on to win the 2010-11 NCAA individual wrestling championship (against all able-bodied competitors) in the 125-pound weight class. He is a two time ESPY award winner, an inductee to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the exclusive motivational speaker for the Washington Speakers Bureau.

This weekend will mark the first time he has been on snow.

MakeAHero.org and Northstar are partnering to have Robles, who will be with his family, have the opportunity to learn to ski from local adaptive sports instructor Bill Bowness.

“Anthony has never let anything slow him down, so when he expressed interest in learning to ski, we wanted to help him achieve his next goal,” Kurt Miller of MakeAHero.org said in a statement.

Bowness, also an adaptive skier, was awarded the first adaptive slot on the PSIA Alpine Team in 2004, promptly earning the respect of fellow team members for his ability to instruct able-bodied alpine skiers of all levels just as well as adaptive skiers.

MakeAHero.org crews will document Robles’ experience on snow this weekend, creating a web video to share with people around the world. Raising awareness and funds in support of sports opportunities for people with disabilities is at the heart of MakeAHero.org’s mission.

Squaw Valley comes alive with a weeklong kids extravaganza beginning Feb. 18.

Big trucks, street parties, balloon animals, skating parties and kids’ concerts are just a few of the festivities for kids and families taking place during Squaw Valley’s Kid-O-Rama through Feb. 26.

For more information, go online.

The 23rd annual Kokanee Festival at Taylor Creek on the South Shore is Oct. 6-7 from 10am-4pm.

For more information, go online.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care’s annual open house is Aug. 5 from 10am-4pm.

This is the once a year opportunity for people to visit the South Shore animal rehab center.

For more information, go online.

Tour de Tahoe — Bike Big Blue is a 72-mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe the helps benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

For more information, go online.

America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride is June 3 starting on the South Shore and continuing for 72 miles around Lake Tahoe.

For more information, go online.