The Jim Tarantino BCDI Hero Award

Each year, BCDI recognizes and honors individuals who go above and beyond in making an impact to the bleeding and clotting disorders community. Beginning in 2024, this prestigious distinction has been renamed “The Jim Tarantino BCDI Hero Award.”

Jim Tarantino, the brother of BCDI CEO/CMO Dr. Michael Tarantino, passed away unexpectedly in January 2024. Whether through generous donations or lending his expertise to drive the construction of BCDI’s state of the art campus, Jim’s support of the bleeding and clotting disorders community and BCDI was abundant, giving of himself freely and without reservation, taking great joy in helping those around him.

Jim Tarantino is a perfect example of the qualities of a BCDI Hero, and the highest award BCDI honors will now be named after Jim’s legacy.

2026 Recipient: The Green Family

BCDI is privileged to honor Jeff Green, Pam Green, Drake Green, and Madison Green with the 2026 Jim Tarantino BCDI Hero Award in recognition of their extraordinary commitment, compassion, and lasting impact on the bleeding and clotting disorders community.

When Jeff and Pam’s son, Drake, was born with hemophilia, the family made significant sacrifices including relocating to Peoria to ensure they received the highest quality of care. The Green’s dedication to BCDI predates the Institution’s founding date of 2010. Dr. Tarantino has been Drake’s hematologist from early childhood, helping create a tailored and specialized care plan to help manage Drake’s hemophilia condition. Through significant and impactful financial and in-person contributions, the Green Family has gone above and beyond to help advance care, support the vision of comprehensive treatment, and ensure families across the region have access to the critical services that BCDI offers.

Jeff Green exemplified this commitment through his generosity, leadership, and hands-on involvement, strengthening our community in an immeasurable way. Jeff was instrumental in the early successes of BCDI as a driving force for starting the Peoria office. An accomplished businessman and race car driver winning multiple championships and awards, Jeff was a larger-than-life personality that always gave his time to ones in need. His unexpected death in 2018 was a profound loss to his family, friends, and the entire BCDI community. Though Jeff is greatly missed, his legacy continues through the lives he touched, the impact it continues to make, and inspires the work BCDI does every day.

One of the family’s most impactful contributions is the Green Family Scholarship. Founded in 2011 through the vision of Jeff and Drake, this scholarship fund has awarded more than $115,000 to individuals with bleeding or clotting disorders pursuing higher education. Many of these recipients over the years have now gone on to serve in healthcare and public service, extending the Green’s impact far beyond their own community.

Pam’s leadership has always been through helping others and bringing people together. So much so, that Pam helped create the vision, fundraising plan and event structure for the very first BCDI Trivia Night in 2010! Her vision of hosting the first BCDI Trivia Night, which was graciously held at the Green Hummer dealership in Peoria, began a tradition that continues to support patients and families today through the BCDI Foundation.

Now an adult living with hemophilia, Drake is continuing his father’s legacy as a successful businessman operating the Green Chevrolet dealership in Peoria. Drake is a tremendous advocate for the bleeding and clotting disorders community in his role as a Board Member with the BCDI Foundation, and through generous sponsorships/partnerships with BCDI events.

The Green Family has turned personal healthcare hardship into a powerful legacy of hope, opportunity and service. For their compassion, leadership, and enduring impact, we are beyond honored to bestow the 2026 Jim Tarantino BCDI Hero Award to The Green Family!

Previous BCDI Hero Award Recipients

The stunning Jim Tarantino BCDI Hero Award, created by the incredible team at Karg Art Glass.