National Donor Sabbath
The weekend of November 9-11, 2012 faith communities across the nation will come together to share the importance of registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Named National Donor Sabbath, this weekend offers the perfect opportunity to educate your congregation about the need for organ and tissue donors, as well as your religion’s beliefs and traditions about sharing the “Gift of Life.” The reasons to support donation are staggering:
- More than 112,000 Americans are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. More than 3,400 of them are Ohioans.
- 18 men, women, and children die each day in the U.S. because the necessary organs were not available to meet the need. Statistically, that is one Ohioan every other day that loses their life because a life-saving organ transplant did not come in time.
- A single donor can save the lives of up to eight people and heal up to 50 more by donating vital organs (heart, two lungs, two kidneys, liver, pancreas and small bowel) and tissue (corneas, bone, fascia, skin, veins, nerves, tendons, ligaments and heart valves).
“My religion does not support donation” is one of the most commonly cited reasons why people say “no” to donation, despite the fact that all major religions in the United States support organ and tissue donation. To review a list of religious views please click here. To help combat this myth, Lifeline of Ohio can provide you with free resources to help guide you and your congregation on making the decision to become an organ and tissue donor. There are many ways you can incorporate information on donation within your services:
- Bulletin Insert: Include Lifeline of Ohio bulletin inserts in your church bulletin or include a supportive statement about donation in your printed bulletin.*
- Display Materials: Display a Donor Memorial Quilt or Donation Display Board, show a message on your projection screen or include a donation message on your house of worship’s outdoor message board. You could also display donation awareness posters on your bulletin boards.*
- Prayer: Include a prayer for all of the individuals currently awaiting a transplant and all of the donors who have so generously shared the “Gift of Life” with others. You could also devote a sermon or scripture reading to this current health issue and share your religion’s views concerning organ and tissue donation with your members.*
- Testimony: Allow a 2-3 minute testimonial from someone whose life has been touched by organ and tissue donation, either from your congregation or a Lifeline of Ohio volunteer. Include the topic of organ and tissue donation in adult or youth education classes, Sunday School classes or at your next blood drive or health fair.*
- Write An Article: Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about your support for donation. Include an article in the church newsletter about organ donation.*
- Distribute Materials: Make informational brochures available and/ or distribute green ribbon awareness lapel pins to congregation members.*
- Organize an activity: Ring the bell at your house of worship 18 times in honor of those who die each day in the U.S. waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Organize a prayer breakfast to educate congregants about donation.
*Lifeline of Ohio has these resources available and will provide them free of charge.
If you are not able to participate during the weekend of November 9-11, 2012, we encourage you to set aside an additional time for you to discuss organ and tissue donation with your congregation. Free materials are available year-round and can be requested at any time.
If you would like to share the importance of organ and tissue donation with your congregation by requsting materials or have further questions, please contact Lauren Fitting, community outreach/partnership coordinator at Lifeline of Ohio at 614-384-7333 or lfitting@lifelineofohio.org.
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