The month of April is "National Donate Life Month", a time designated nationally to help raise awareness about the critical need for organ, tissue, marrow and blood donors and inspire people to register their decision to donate life. Every day in April, people across the U.S. make a special effort to celebrate the tremendous generosity of those who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors and to encourage more Americans to follow their fine example.
"Each year the month of April brings springtime and nature's renewal", said former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. "Each April will remind all Americans of their own ability to renew and enhance life through the gift of donation." This commemoration is a national recognition of the promotion of organ and tissue donation.
There is much to celebrate, including the more than 28,000 transplants that were performed in the United States during 2009. Yet there is still much to do, there are over 110,000 Americans on the waiting list for a life saving transplant. Every day 18 people on the national waiting list die because a donor organ does not become available in time. Thousands of people need tissue and cornea transplants to enhance their lives and make them better.
Thank you for your interest in saving lives by participating in National Donate Life Month activities. The most important part you can play is to help people ACT by becoming DESIGNATED DONORS (signing up on the Tennessee or Virginia donor registry and telling their family they want to be a donor).
Please feel free to select any/all activities that interest your group. Remember in any activity you choose, the most important thing is DESIGNATING YOUR WISHES and helping others do the same. To be an organ and tissue donor, sign up on the Tennessee donor registry at www.TnDonorRegistry.org, the Georgia registry at www.DonateLifeGA.org or the Virginia donor registry at www.DonateLifeVirginia.org and tell your family.
Also, in any activity you choose, be sure to RECORD RESULTS (keep track of the number of people you talked with who had already signed up, the ones who signed up with you and the ones who said “no” or just took information). Submit the results to Tennessee Donor Services.
Contact your local TDS office to find out how you can observe National Donate Life Month in your area. Some ideas are listed below.
• Download print public service ads and ask local newspapers to print them.
• Hold a Donate Life Challenge competition between co-workers, friends & family members to sign up the most donors.
• Download a web banner ad for your workplace website and include a link to the Tennessee Donor Registry at www.TnDonorRegistry.org, the Georgia Donor Registry at www.DonateLifeGA.org or the Virginia Donor Registry at www.DonateLifeVirginia.org .
• Send an email to colleagues, friends, and family encouraging them to sign up. Include a link to the Tennessee Donor Registry at www.TNDonorRegistry.org, the Georgia Donor Registry at www.DonateLifeGA.org and the Virginia Donor Registry at www.DonateLifeVirginia.org.
• Send a text message to your cell phone book encouraging people to register as a donor at www.TNDonorRegistry.org (TN), www.DonateLifeGA.org (GA) or www.DonateLifeVirginia.org (VA).
• Community Invasion: Spread out volunteers in groups of two throughout the community. Approach as many people as possible. Explain that it’s National Donate Life Month and ask them if they have signed up to be an organ donor. Educate those who are unfamiliar, ask them to register online and give them a card with the registry websites.
Mountain Region Donor Services volunteer, Cheryl Vincent, and friends created this poignant "YouTube" video for National Donate Life Month to highlight the importance of organ donation. You can register to be a donor in Tennessee by clicking on the link at the top of the page or when you renew your driver's license by checking "yes" to donation every time. In Tennessee and Virginia, if you document your decision to donate, your family cannot override your wishes.
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