The Gift of Life Donor Program is the largest organ donation organization in the country. The program organizes an event called the “Students Save Lives College Challenge”. This challenge encourages college clubs, and organizations to spread awareness for their campus communities to register as organ donors. The prizes for the challenge include $1000 for first place, $500 for second place, $300 for third place, and a $500 bonus to whatever organization can get the most new donors. In 2021 our team at 1853 Communications came in 2nd place!
This year our goal for the challenge is to register new organ donors either at Arcadia or the surrounding community. We also want to create awareness for organ donation and why it is so important in saving lives. We will be hosting seven different table donor registration drives on campus to help spread awareness and register new donors in the community. We will also be hosting a special event on Arcadia University’s Haber Green on April 9th. We will also be asking teams on April 12 (National Blue & Green Day) to wear blue and green at their practices or games to show awareness for National Donate Life Blue & Green Day.
Organ donation is the giving of an organ or tissue to someone who requires a new one for a transplant. The decision to donate organs can save up to eight lives and there is no cost or charge to the donor’s family, a single donor can also change over 75 lives with tissue and cornea donation. Organ donation gives families and individuals another chance to live their lives, there are currently over 106,000 men, women, and children on the donor waiting list currently.