ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder students are invited to participate in an organ and tissue donor registry drive at the University Memorial Center Jan. 28-31.
Students will have the opportunity to learn more about organ and tissue donation and test their knowledge in order to win a RIDE snowboard.
Donor Alliance Inc., a federally designated organ procurement organization serving ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ and Wyoming, will sponsor the organ and tissue donor registry drive, which is the first drive held at ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder.
"Our focus for 2002 is to bring the donation discussion to students and let them know this does affect their age group," said D. Nikki Wheeler, director of communications for Donor Alliance Inc. "We want to educate, inform and save lives in the process."
Students who visit the registry drive at the UMC will be provided with educational information about the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Donor Registry and what it means to be on the registry, a confidential list of people who wish to be organ donors.
The ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder donor registry drive also will mark the first time students who live outside the state of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ will be able to express to their home state legislator that they would like to see legislation enacting a donor registry. Currently, only 15 out of the 50 states have donor registries.
To help send the message to legislators in states without a registry, Donor Alliance is providing students with a petition to sign. Once all the signatures have been collected, Donor Alliance will draft a letter to all state legislators represented, letting them know the concerns of their constituents.
Students also will be provided with copies of the letter.
Local transplant personalities such as heart recipient Leslie McCall and Margo Hields, a ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Boulder graduate, heart recipient and 2002 Olympic torchbearer, will be on-hand to help sign up new registrants. Hields will be at the registry booth Thursday, Jan. 31, the day before her torch run.
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