OneLegacy Kicks Off Donate Life Month with Over 280 Regional Activities in Southern California, Promoting the Importance of Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OneLegacy is joining millions of Americans in April to celebrate Donate Life Month with a series of activities that will take place in seven Southern California counties.  Donate Life Month was created to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and honor those who have been touched by the gift of donation.

Organized by the staff, volunteers and community partners of OneLegacy, the non-profit, federally designated organ, eye and tissue recovery organization serving the greater Los Angeles area, these local events range from flag raisings and educational programs, to city proclamations and the largest run/walk of its kind in the country.  Participants include more than 45 hospitals and transplant centers, seven counties, over 115 cities, and thousands of organ, eye and tissue donation advocates, who are dedicated to supporting the program.

"We are grateful to our hospitals, city officials and community partners, who join us every year to stress the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation," said Tom Mone, CEO of OneLegacy. "Thanks to their continuous support, we have been able to increase donation awareness every year, with more than 35,000 life-saving transplants performed in the U.S. in 2016, helping save and heal the lives of many.  Still, there is much work to be done."

FLAGS ACROSS AMERICA: LOCAL FLAG RAISING CEREMONIES
Joining dozens of organizations around the country, OneLegacy is participating in the Donate Life "Flags Across America" initiative, which began in 2009 as a symbol of unity and hope. This initiative honors and celebrates donors and recipients whose lives have been affected by organ, eye and tissue donation, rallying every donor hospital and transplant center, as well as all recovery agencies, to collectively fly the Donate Life flag during April. OneLegacy has partnered with 20 Southland hospitals and organ donation partner organizations to raise flags across Southern California.

BLUE & GREEN DAY AND EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
On April 21, Donate Life's trademark colors will be present at local DMV offices, transplant centers, and hospitals, as well as throughout social media channels, who will join OneLegacy to celebrate National Donate Life Blue & Green Day.  Dozens of local DMV offices participate in a contest to show their commitment to donation, dressing their locations with blue and green and reminding the community to register when applying for their California driver's licenses or ID cards.  OneLegacy's partnership with the DMV includes ongoing educational sessions to staff, special events and recognition to their staff and leadership, and their continuous support has resulted in 95 percent of the state's nearly 14 million designated donors who have joined the California registry.  Local hospitals, transplant centers and other organizations and businesses also participate in educational sessions and encourage their staff to wear blue and green on April 21.

CITY OFFICIALS' PROCLAMATIONS
Starting in late March, and all through April, OneLegacy Ambassadors and Embajadores – committed volunteers who have been touched by donation and transplantation and who every day share their stories of life and hope with the community – will receive proclamations from seven counties – Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura – and over 115 cities. Each proclamation of "Donate Life California Month" confirms our community's commitment to supporting organ, eye and tissue donation. OneLegacy volunteers will also share their stories at educational booths at various Southland hospitals during the month of April.

DONATE LIFE RUN/WALK AT CAL STATE FULLERTON
Continuing a tradition that started in 2003, this year's Donate Life Month celebrations will conclude with the 15th annual Donate Life Run/Walk and Family Festival at Cal State Fullerton on Sat., April 29.  This year's event will gather over 12,000 donation advocates, with over 222 donor family teams, 42 hospital teams, and dozens of other groups and organizations who will participate in the largest event of its kind in the country. Started by the Hosterts, a family touched by living organ donation, and now in its 15th year, this non-competitive event helps stress the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation and encourage people to register as donors.

OneLegacy is the non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in the seven-county greater Los Angeles area. With more than 200 hospitals, 11 transplant centers and a diverse population of 18.6 million, OneLegacy is the largest organ, eye and tissue recovery organization in the world.

For more information visit www.OneLegacy.org, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
Donate Life Run/Walk information, registration and updates are available at www.DonateLifeRunWalk.org and through our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To register to become an organ, eye, or tissue donor, visit www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.

Contact:          
Tania Llavaneras
(213) 503-9285
[email protected]

SOURCE OneLegacy

Related Links

http://www.OneLegacy.org