From Monday, July 9 to Sunday, July 22, LifeCenter Northwest will join Donate Life America (DLA) and the entire organ donation and transplant community in a two-week national outreach campaign called Every Community Has Opportunity (ECHO).

The “opportunity” refers to the chance to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

The goal of the ECHO campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of donation and transplantation in multicultural communities. To accomplish this, DLA has created materials to empower those touched by donation to reach out to their personal networks and share why they said yes organ, eye and tissue donation.

This campaign has been spearheaded by a partnership between DLA and the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation (AMAT) since 2015.

Our January LifeSaver Award winner, Gil Gonzales of Swedish Cherry Hill, is an excellent example of how one can foster a positive donation culture within their community. Gonzales and his team at Swedish collaboratively recognized the importance of honoring patients’ decisions to donate. They also recognize that it is important to ensure families the opportunity to make personal decisions regarding donation. Gonzales has also joined the efforts of LifeCenter Northwest to build a positive outlook on donation while connecting with families.

Collaborative efforts, such as the efforts exerted by Gonzales’ team, can help raise awareness and increase education on positive impacts donation.

Currently, there are nearly 115,000 people waiting for a lifesaving transplant. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people and heal many more through tissue and cornea donation.

Dialogue and personal connections are important aspects of this campaign as they serve to educate other community members and provide comfort for individuals who are unsure about donation.

For more information or promotional resources, visit www.donatelife.net or www.donevida.org

To register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, register through www.lcnw.org.