– “Play Through with Erik Compton” – a Program to Educate Americans and Support Donate Life’s “20 Million in 2012” Campaign –

RICHMOND, Va., May 15 –Donate Life America (DLA) announced today that it has partnered with PGA TOUR golfer and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton on a new educational campaign, “Play Through with Erik Compton,” which is supported by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.  “Play Through” aims to raise public awareness of organ donation and urge Americans to consider becoming organ donors.

“Last year, Donate Life America achieved a significant milestone when the 100 millionth American registered to become an organ donor,” said David Fleming, president and CEO of Donate Life America. “One of our goals in 2012 is to build on that success and register an additional 20 million donors. In his rookie year on the PGA TOUR, Erik’s incredible story will reach golf fans, sports enthusiasts and beyond, and we hope to inspire them to sign up today to save lives.”

“Off the golf course, organ donation is a topic that is very personal to me, which is why I am so excited to be partnering with Donate Life America,” said Compton. “I hope that by sharing my experience with others, Americans can see for themselves how important it is to learn the facts about organ donation and consider taking the next step of registering to become an organ donor.”

“Play Through” will travel to five cities in the United States in 2012, highlighting the importance of organ donation and educating the public on how to register to become a donor.

For more information on organ donation, transplantation and to learn how to become an organ donor, please visit Donate Life America’s website at www.donatelife.net.

About Organ Donation and Transplantation

There are more than 114,000 patients who are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. [i],[ii]An average of 18 people die every day while waiting for a transplant; this is due to a shortage of available organs.[iii] Approximately 90 percent of Americans say they support organ donation, but only 30 percent know the essential steps that need to be taken in order to become a donor.[iv]

About Erik Compton

PGA TOUR rookie Erik Compton holds the distinction of being the only professional golfer in the world to compete with a transplanted heart. The 2011 season was momentous for Compton as he enjoyed three top-5 finishes on the Nationwide Tour, including a win in the Mexican Open. During any given tournament week, Compton can be found volunteering his time for special events and hospital visitations to meet transplant recipients and their families in support of organ donation and transplant awareness.

Compton was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, a disease that inflames the heart muscle and limits its ability to pump blood, at the age of 9. After his first heart transplant in 1992 at age 12, Compton gave up contact sports and began playing golf. His second transplant came in 2008 and marked a turning point in his professional golf career.

RICHMOND, May 1 – Donate Life America, the national organization dedicated to increasing the number of registered organ, eye and tissue donors that save and heal lives, today announced a major initiative with Facebook.

Today, Facebook launched an upgrade to its timeline structure, which asks users to check their organ donor status and directs them to Donate Life America’s National Registration Page — allowing them to designate a donation decision if they have not done so already.  In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” this morning, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the new initiative and became one of the first Facebook users to sign up to donate on the social network. Tonight Facebook’s COO and one of America’s most powerful businesswomen Sheryl Sandberg will sit down exclusively with Diane Sawyer.  ABC News affiliates, ABC News Radio, Yahoo! and ABCNews.com will also feature coverage of the exciting new initiative.  ESPN will be running two powerful organ donation stories throughout the day on SportsCenter that encourage organ and tissue donation.

“We can’t thank Facebook enough for the organization’s commitment to helping save lives by encouraging Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. We are also grateful to ABC and ESPN for their dedication to this cause and for sharing this opportunity with their viewers.  Thousands of lives will be saved or healed as a result of this initiative,” said David Fleming, President and CEO of Donate Life America. “We want to encourage every Facebook user to take a moment and update their timeline, register to be a donor, and share their decision with family and friends.  It is a simple way to provide hope for those in need.”

The partnership signifies a giant step for the organ, eye and tissue donation community, bringing major exposure to the need for more registered donors and leading the public to officially designate themselves as donors, providing hope to the over 114,000 men, women and children currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant.  Thousands more await needed tissue or corneal transplants to resume normal lives or restore sight.

To find out more about Donate Life America or to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, visit www.facebook.com/DonateLife.

RICHMOND, Va. – Feb. 27, 2012  – Twelve beautiful women whose lives were transformed by organ donation are helping Donate Life America (“DLA”) inspire 20 million people to sign up to be organ and tissue donors this year.

The 12 Inspiring Women of “20 Million in 2012” hail from across the United States and were selected because of their commitment to increasing the number of lives saved through organ and tissue donation.

“A key goal of this campaign is to reach out to young women who didn’t check yes at the DMV when they got their licenses at 16; to ask them to be role models for their friends by signing up today to save lives at DonateLifeAmerica.org,” said Tenaya Wallace, national campaign director of “20 Million in 2012”.

To reach this active and socially connected audience, DLA is highlighting the need for donors through National Donate Life Blue and Green Day on April 20^th,when celebrities, stylists, teens, fashionistas, talk show hosts, politicians, and others will be asked to wear blue and green. This is a new element of April’s National Donate Life Month, which brings attention to organ, eye and tissue donation annually.

“The Donate Life colors of sky blue and lime green are stunning together and every spring you see fashions and accessories, even make-up, in these colors,” says Valen Keefer (29, Sacramento), who will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her kidney transplant in August. Valen is a spokesperson for University Kidney Research Organization (UKRO), along with Natalie Cole and Deana Carter, and one of the 12 Inspiring Women of 2012. “During National Donate Life Month, I will be presenting Joan deRyk Jones, the Mayor of Truckee whose DMV office has the highest donor registration rates in California, with a Donate Life scarf and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson with a Donate Life tie so that these mayors can show off their blue and green on April 20th!”  Donate Life scarves and ties are available for order at store.donatelife.net.

Amy Tippins (36, Atlanta) celebrated the 19^th anniversary of her liver transplant on February 20th. The owner of RockScar Love Designs created a blue and green t-shirt especially for the “20 Million in 2012” campaign that says ‘Real Men are Organ Donors.’ 15-20% of all sales from the clothing line will benefit transplant/organ donation based charities.

“I’ll be sending shirts to some of the biggest heart throbs in Hollywood and asking them to wear the shirts with pride and share photos with their fans to show off their Donate Life Blue and Green on April 20^th” Amy announced.  “Justin Bieber’s simple tweet led to a huge increase in online registrations in Canada, especially amongst Bieber’s female fans, and Tom Brady’s vocal support for his mentor, Tom Martinez, who died waiting for a kidney transplant, has gotten people talking about organ donation.”

Because of the way information about drivers is collected by state motor vehicle departments it is impossible to obtain national data about the percentage of first time drivers who do check yes but Donate Life America has identified this group as critical to increasing donor registration.

Holly Werlein (27, Grand Rapids), a liver recipient, entrepreneur, planning board member for the Transplant Games of America and one of the 12 Women of 2012, knows firsthand the importance of bringing donor awareness to first-time drivers.

“I have done dozens of high school presentations and I see the light go on for the teens when I am telling them my story about how a liver transplant saved my life,” says Werlein. “Young people want to do something important with their lives and they want to help, so being organ donors just makes sense to them. They just need information, inspiration and to know they can go online to sign up today!”  Werlein has created a line of blue and green clothing through her Holdol Wear brand with a portion of proceeds going to Donate Life America.

You can show off your Donate Life Blue and Green by putting together a blue and green look and posting a photo on the Donate Life America Facebook page and your personal page on April 20^th. The top 10 looks will win a $100 gift card from Donate Life America. The 12 Inspiring Women of 2012 are all planning unique ways to bring blue and green to life around the nation.

“I am hosting a blue and green party at Manny’s Steakhouse at the W Hotel  Minneapolis – The Forshay,” says Nina Astor (42, Minneapolis), the mother of a 16-month-old organ donor who has gone on to create a blog called www.TheSparkleTheory.com that helps women find joy every day. She and her teenage daughter Morgan are part of the 12 Inspiring Women of 2012. “UV Vodka is creating blue and green drinks for the event.  The blue drink will be a Q-tini named for my son Quentin who had incredible blue eyes.”

Jessica Melore’s new heart lets her work for her cause and help save lives as the Senior Education and Programs Manager for the NJ Sharing Network, the organ recovery agency serving northern New Jersey. Jessica (30, New York City), says “We’re integrating blue and green at every level of our outreach partnerships. Motor Vehicle employees are hosting blue and green events for customers at their agencies —a critical point of contact where 98% of people say “Yes” to donation. We’re planning campaigns in our hospitals, high schools, and colleges, and many companies and legislators are planning to get involved as well. It’s so exciting and moving to see this much enthusiasm to promote this life-saving message that will help save more lives like mine.”

Meet the other 12 Inspiring Women of “20 Million in 2012”:

Ann Lopez, living kidney donor to actor and comedian George Lopez, and their daughter Mayan join the 12 Inspiring Women of 20 Million in 2012.  Mayan turns 16 this year and will be receiving her driver’s license in the fall.  Ann and Mayan will be working together to share the importance of signing up as an organ donor with mothers and their teenage children.

Leiauna Anderson (38, Los Angeles), was a special education teacher pregnant with her first child when her liver ruptured. Two liver transplants within the following week – one non-compatible but buying precious time – saved her life. Thanks to the gifts she received from strangers and a surrogate carrier, Leiauna and her husband were able to realize their dream of becoming parents with the arrival of son Rex in 2008.

The recipient of two liver transplants since age two, Vicky Nguyen (27) is thankful to live an active Southern California lifestyle that includes giving back as a Family Pal and Cabin Counselor at The Painted Turtle, a camp for seriously ill children. She also serves  as a Donate Life Rose Parade Float decorating supervisor, a mentor to 2 liver transplant teenagers, and is a member of both the Transplant Recipients International Organization and the American Liver Foundation.

Wendy Rodgers (39, Los Angeles) is a 12-year lupus survivor and received a kidney transplant on the 12th day of May in 2009, which was Mother’s Day. Wendy is an advocate for the Lupus Foundation and featured in the Ad Council’s lupus awareness campaign ads and lives in Los Angeles.

Shari Kurzrok Schnall (New York City) was in the fight of her life after her liver failed unexpectedly from a rare genetic condition called Wilson’s Disease.  While she waited for a liver to become available, she made a promise to use her personal experience to raise awareness and educate others about organ donation so that people can make informed decisions about becoming organ donors.  Now she volunteers for the New York Organ Donor Network and raises funds for donor education through the Shari Kurzrok Second Chance for Life Foundation.

For more information about the “20 Million in 2012” campaign, a complete list of the 12 Inspiring Women of 12 and to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, visit www.DonateLifeAmerica.org.

Recently the donation and transplantation community celebrated the achievement of 100 million registered organ, eye and tissue donors.  However, as long as the need for donated organs surpasses the supply and patients die awaiting a lifesaving transplant, more must be done.

To address this critical need, Donate Life America has launched the 20 Million in 2012 campaign. Local, state and national events like Donate Life Flaunt Your  Blue and Green, Donate Life Linking Hands, Donate Life Champions and Fan for Life, and Donate Life Flash Mobs will help to draw attention to the need but reaching the goal will require the involvement and action of Everyone who has been touched by donation and transplantation.  This means you!

Here’s how you can help:

• Register to be a donor at donatelifeamerica.org
• Prepare your “elevator speech” to make sure it includes the request of someone to register as a donor.
• Share your donation/transplantation story with friends in person, in writing, by email or phone (ask them to register with their state donor registry or at donatelifeamerica.org).
• Share your story with the Donate Life community by visiting Facebook and write on the wall
• Volunteer with your local recovery agency
• Use the Hope card
• Order and use promotional items; order at http://store.donatelife.net/
• Use 20 Million in 2012 Web banners and Facebook button

On behalf of Donate Life America and the many people who will be touched by your efforts, thank you for your commitment.  Check back often for updates on the 20 Million in 2012 campaign.

RICHMOND, Va. – Jan. 4, 2012 – Today is Jessica Melore’s 30^th birthday, a milestone birthday she did not always think she was going to have.  At only 16 years old Jessica received a sudden and lifesaving heart transplant.  Today, Jessica’s story of hope helps to launch Donate Life America’s bold new initiative, “20 Million in 2012.”

Donate Life America, the national organization promoting organ, eye and tissue donation in the United States, is launching this bold new initiative, “20 Million in 2012.” The initiative focuses on radically increasing the number of people registered on state donor registries. This official launch of the campaign comes on the heels of its announcement during the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA, where every year since 2004 it has sponsored the Donate Life float. This year’s float again featured inspirational stories of organ donors and their families, a tradition that the “20 million in 2012” campaign will continue throughout 2012 as it features powerful stories of those affected by organ, eye and tissue donation.

“I am so proud to be part of Donate Life America’s “20 Million in 2012” campaign, as part of the I am HOPE storytelling project,” says Melore. “New Jersey is the first state to promote the 2012 stories of hope.  Real life stories like mine can inspire people to sign up to be organ, eye and tissue donors.  These commitments to donation provide hope to the more than 112,000 men, women and children on the organ transplant waiting list, along with the hundreds of thousands more in need of cornea and tissue transplants.”

Additionally, the “20 Million in 2012” campaign will feature four national Donate Life events during 2012: the Donate Life Flash Mob on March 24th, Donate Life Blue and Green Virtual Fashion Show on April 20th, Donate Life Champions in Fall 2012 and Donate Life Linking Hands for Life all year long.

“In 2012 we are making a bold statement about our commitment to save more lives,” says David Fleming, President and CEO of Donate Life America. “With the majority of individuals in the United States wishing to be organ, eye and tissue donors, the biggest challenge to meeting our goal of 20 million will be getting people to take action and register today as an organ, eye and tissue donor at DonateLifeAmerica.org.”

For more information about the “20 Million in 2012” campaign or to register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and join in this lifesaving work, visit www.DonateLifeAmerica.org. For a written version of Jessica’s story visit http://www.sharenj.org/events/feature-events/2012/melore.htm.

New national goal set to register 20 million more by the end of 2012

RICHMOND, October, 11 – Donate Life America (DLA) announced today that a key goal set by the donation and transplant community in 2006 was achieved this month. The United States can now boast that 100 million Americans — roughly 42 percent of the adult population –are registered as organ, eye and tissue donors in state donor registries.

Growth in the number of registered donors is vital because the need for transplants continues to rise. More than 112,000 people are currently waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. Thousands more await tissue transplants to resume their normal lives. Last year, more than 28,000 people received organ transplants, more than 40,000 received corneal transplants and hundreds of thousands received tissue transplants, yet 6,590 died awaiting organ transplants.  A surge in the number of donors is necessary to save more lives. Therefore, as the donation and transplant community celebrates the accomplishment of registering 100 million people, work has already begun to reach the new national goal of registering 20 million new donors by the end of 2012.  Twenty million additional donors would result in saving thousands more lives each year.  The public is encouraged to register by visiting www.donatelife.net.

“At a time when we as a nation have difficulty finding common ground on many important issues, 100 million people have agreed on their desire to save lives by registering as donors. They are hope for all of the men, women and children in need of lifesaving transplants today. For that, we say thank you,” says David Fleming, President and CEO, Donate Life America. “While this achievement speaks volumes about the generosity of human beings, more work needs to be done to motivate Americans to register and save the lives of those in need.”

In 2006, DLA launched the Donor Designation Collaborative (DDC) as a nationwide effort to improve organ, eye and tissue donation rates. A main tactic for achieving the DDC’s goals is ensuring that each state has an effective system for allowing individuals to legally designate themselves as donors. Since the DDC’s launch, there has been a 45 percent increase in the number of designated donors in the United States.

On average, nearly 8 million people join a state donor registry each year; a majority (97 percent) joins through state departments of motor vehicles (DMV’s).  Therefore, DLA builds strong relationships with many DMV officials throughout the nation to encourage education and training of their staff to help them better advocate for organ, eye and tissue donation.

“I am proud to witness meeting such a milestone in organ and tissue donor history,” says Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State. “Our ultimate goal is to see that all Americans become registered organ and tissue donors.”

As the DDC works to increase the number of donors, the high percentage of registrations through DMV’s poses a new challenge to overcome. The majority of state donor registries were created nearly a decade ago. Once a registry goes through its first driver’s license/ID card renewal cycle (ranging from every 4 to every 12 years depending on the state), new designated donors come from only three sources – first-time drivers, new residents, and current residents who previously elected not to register. This maturity factor decreases the ability to sustain high donation rates through DMV efforts alone– a fact that necessitates new strategies to promote registrations.

“As we lay the foundation to register an additional 20 million people by the end of 2012, we are developing strategies to overcome the obstacles presented by maturing registries.  We are not deterred by the challenges ahead,” says Donate Life America Chairperson, Helen W. Bottenfield. “Our primary goal is to preserve human life and improve the quality of life for those in need of organ, corneal and tissue transplants.  We will remain focused and find creative ways to reach, educate and motivate those who have not yet registered as donors.”

As of June 30, 2011, data reported by Donate Life America state teams revealed 42 percent of U.S. adults (age 18 and older) are registered as organ, eye and tissue donors.  States with the highest percentage included: Alaska and Montana (78 percent each) and Washington (74 percent).

The public is encouraged to join the 100 million individuals already registered as organ, eye and tissue donors by visiting www.donatelife.net and registering today.