Spreading Awareness for Organ Donation During Donate Life Month!

It’s almost that time of year again; National Donate Life Month! Each April we celebrate National Donate Life Month with local, regional, and national activities to spread awareness for organ donation and celebrate the many lives that have been saved and healed by the gift of life, and to encourage Americans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors!

This year’s theme revolves around the concept of the pinwheel.  Donate Life America shared their inspiration for the pinwheel saying, “the pinwheel is symbolic of an instrument that turns obstacles into opportunities. The pinwheel’s ability to capture and pass on energy, parallels one’s potential to make life possible…the pinwheel reminds us that we all have the potential to capture and pass on life, comfort, and hope to others by registering as a donor.”

As April quickly approaches, now is a great time to start thinking about how you can join the national campaign to encourage others to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors. Donate Life America has provided a variety of resources on to make it easy for you to spread the word, including web banners, social media images, and twibbons (an overlay image to add to your Facebook profile picture). These provide fun and easy ways to promote National Donate Life Month on your website, social media pages, or email. There are also posters available for anyone to download and print. You can find these resources at www.donatelife.net/ndlm.

One special day during the month to mark on your calendars is Friday, April 21, which is National Donate Life Blue and Green Day. In collaboration with Donate Life America, we are encouraging donation advocates to wear blue and green during this day in support of organ, eye, and tissue donation and to all those in need of a life-saving transplant. You can find resources for blue and green day at www.donatelife.net/blue-green-day.

If you haven’t registered to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor then April is the perfect time! It is also a great time to share your individual experiences and connections to organ donation. At LifeCenter, we are continuously inspired and amazed by the generosity of donors, their families and the second chances given to so many transplant recipients. Organ donation is a beautiful and altruistic act of kindness that impacts the lives of many every single day.

As part of our effort to celebrate the lives of organ, eye, and tissue donors during National Donate Life Month, we will be holding our annual Governor’s Gift of Life Award Ceremony (GOLA) at the Washington and Montana State Capitals. The Gift of Life Award was created by the state senates in Washington and Montana to recognize and honor organ donors throughout the states who have given others a second chance at life. Every year we invite donor families form the previous year to attend the ceremony and honor their loved one’s legacies.

For more information about organ donation and Donate Life Month please visit www.lcnw.org and www.donatelife.net.