More than 90% of donor registrations come through the DMV
(Richmond, VA—September 1, 2021) Each year, Donate Life America (DLA) along with Donate Life State Teams and their members take time in September to recognize the vital role our DMV and Driver License Partners (DLPs) play in helping save and heal lives. DMV staff are front-line champions, committed to asking the donor registration question to customers every day.
Partnerships with DMVs remain the primary source of state donor registrations. More than 90% of individuals surveyed across the country stated that they registered their donation decision through their local DMV.1 DMV staff are the people on the front lines of service who have helped 165 million people across the country to register their lifesaving decision to be a deceased organ, eye and tissue donor.2
The work of DMVs across the country enables more lifesaving transplants to be performed every year. An increase in donation education and donor registrations have helped drive an increase in the number of lives saved through organ donation and transplantation each year for the past eight years.3 Donation makes transplants possible, and donation starts with donor registration.
To offer more time for recognition and support of our DMV partners, DLA has extended the celebration of National DMV Appreciation Week to National DMV Appreciation Month. During September, the Donate Life Community will be celebrating this lifesaving partnership through education and outreach to thank DMV staff and leadership across the country. Donate Life America will also be recognizing the regional and national winners of the 2021 DLA DMV Lifesaver and Innovation Awards.
The DLA DMV Awards recognize both innovative statewide DMV office efforts (Innovation Award) and individual staff and leadership dedication to the Donate Life mission and successfully increasing donor registration (Lifesaver Award). The awards are presented annually at American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) conferences and in local ceremonies across the country. DLA is grateful for the commitment and partnership of AAMVA in supporting the lifesaving role of DMVs in offering the donor registration opportunity.
The full list of 2021 DLA DMV Award winners is included below; please visit DonateLife.net/DMV-Awards for details on the award winners and their programs. Congratulations to all of the award winners – and thank you for your dedication to helping save and heal lives through organ, eye and tissue donation!
To register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, please visit your local DMV or driver license partner office in-person or online. You can also register online in the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org or in your iPhone Health App. To learn more about the DLA DMV partnership and National DMV Appreciation Month, please visit DonateLife.net/DMV.
National DLA DMV Award Winners
DLA DMV Innovation Award: Mimzie Herklotz-Dennis, Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Division
DLA DMV Lifesaver Award: Chris Craft, St. Lucie (FL) County Tax Collector
AAMVA Regional DLA DMV Award Winners
Region 1
DLA DMV Lifesaver Award: Patty Morneault, Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Region 2
DLA DMV Innovation Award: Mimzie Herklotz-Dennis, Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Division
DLA DMV Lifesaver Award: Chris Craft, St. Lucie (FL) County Tax Collector
Region 3
DLA DMV Innovation Award: Jessica Tyson, Kansas Department of Revenue-Division of Vehicles
DLA DMV Lifesaver Award: Susie Geyer, Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Region 4
DLA DMV Innovation Award: Barry Aarons, Motor Vehicle Providers Association
DLA DMV Lifesaver Award: Kathleen Webb, California Department of Motor Vehicles
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About Donate Life America (DLA)
Donate Life America (DLA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization leading its national partners and Donate Life State Teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes and tissues available to save and heal lives. DLA owns, manages and promotes Donate Life℠, the national brand for the cause of donation; motivates the public to register as organ, eye and tissue donors; provides education about living donation; manages the National Donate Life Registry at RegisterMe.org; and develops and executes effective multi-media campaigns to promote donation.
Media Contact:
Hilary Kleine Czarda
hczarda@donatelife.net
1National Survey of Organ Donation Attitudes and Practices, 2019, Report of Findings, Published February 2020, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Healthcare Systems Bureau, Division of Transplantation.
2Donate Life America Registry Overview Reports (ROR), Q3 2020 Report, Donate Life America
3 Letter from the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (2020). National DMV Appreciation Month Letter. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
