DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In honor of National Donate Life Month, Donor Alliance invites Colorado and Wyoming residents and organizations to ‘Shine a Light’ to show support for organ, eye and tissue donation with light displays and flag raising events throughout the month of April. Each year, the month-long celebration acknowledges the generosity of organ, eye and tissue donors and their families while celebrating transplant recipients and honoring those still waiting on a transplant. Participating organizations—including area hospitals, DMV offices, the Denver City and County building and the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie—will be awash with blue and green light displays throughout the month to raise awareness for the cause.
Community members are encouraged to enjoy the light displays throughout the region while also shining their own light. In honor of the more than 1,500 people across Colorado and Wyoming currently waiting on a lifesaving transplant, Donor Alliance is distributing thousands of at-home light kits in the community. Residents can visit DonorAlliance.org/NDLM for more information and to request their own light kit to display, which includes a battery-operated votive candle, and a “I shine My Light For…” sign with instructions on how to display.
“2021 was the most lifesaving and healing year our region has ever seen with 642 lives saved through organ donation and thousands more saved and healed through tissue donation,” said Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO, Donor Alliance. “While National Donate Life Month is an opportunity to honor our heroic organ and tissue donors and to celebrate the far-reaching impact donation and transplantation has, it’s also a time to remember the more than 1,500 people in our community that are still waiting for a lifesaving transplant. We ask residents to join us in raising awareness and inspiring others to say yes to donation.”
Here are some of the stories that local Donor Alliance Advocates for Life volunteers are sharing with their communities this April:
- Kristen Adcock from Denver will be celebrating the memory of her son Connor, who was able to save and heal the lives of dozens of patients in need following his untimely death at just 19. Kristen will remember Connor and celebrate the cause of donation and transplantation by helping University of Colorado Hospital raise a Donate Life flag at 8:30 AM on Friday, April 1.
- Sherrie Roesner, a kidney transplant recipient from Fort Collins, will join Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO of Donor Alliance, as Mayor Jeni Arndt delivers a proclamation to officially declare April Donate Life Month in Fort Collins. The proclamation will take place at 5 PM on Tuesday, April 5 at Fort Collins City Hall West.
- Ashley Ferre, from Casper, is honoring her son Jace’s legacy by sharing his story to inspire more Wyoming residents to say yes to donation. Jace helped to save and heal the lives of many people in need after he passed away at 7-years-old.
- Guadalupe Kerr, a kidney recipient from Casper, is sharing her transplant journey to inspire others in the community to register to become donors.
By night, the region will be lit up in blue and green. By day, area hospitals and driver license offices will fly Donate Life flags. Since 2006, the flags have served as a nationwide display of unity, remembrance, and hope, while honoring those touched by donation and transplantation. Beginning the first week of April, numerous hospitals across Colorado and Wyoming will host flag raising ceremonies. To find a local flag raising, lighting event or proclamation in your community, click here.
On April 22-National Blue and Green Day, Colorado and Wyoming residents are encouraged to dress in blue and green to promote the success of organ, eye, and tissue transplantation, honor those heroes who have given the gift of life and highlight the need for more registered donors. Share a picture on social media using #ShineALight to help raise awareness and give hope to the more than 1,500 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in Colorado and Wyoming.
Government offices, businesses and other organizations are also invited to take part in supporting the cause by displaying materials like fliers and posters, sharing messages of support on social media and more. Interested organizations can access a toolkit of ready-to-produce materials at donoralliance.org/ndlm-toolkit/.
Donor Alliance is the federally designated non-profit organization that facilitates organ and tissue donation throughout Colorado and most of Wyoming. To sign up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.
About Donor Alliance
Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ and tissue procurement agency for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 6.3 million residents and 112 hospitals. Donor Alliance adheres to the highest medical, regulatory and ethical standards, and meets every performance standard. By respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state’s donor registry, Donor Alliance is able to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation. Donor Alliance is one of 57 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages.
