Cities Compete to Save Lives
The Columbus Visitors Bureau invites the public to “Experience Columbus.” Columbus is a city alive with activity – especially during this special bicentennial celebration year! With festivals and fairs, music and museums, we are a city full of life.
But are we a city that values life as well?
Donor Drive Standings as of April 12, 2012
The Bureau of Motor Vehicle reports that the citizens of Columbus are registering as organ, eye and tissue donors at a rate lower than the state average of 54.5 per cent. I find this astounding! As I “experience” Columbus, I know it to be a kind and caring community. It is a collection of neighborhoods that are proud of their heritage and working hard to make the future great.
Currently there are more than 800 people listed for transplants at the area’s two transplant centers – The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Those life-saving transplants will not happen unless ordinary people make an extraordinary decision and say “yes” to organ donation. I want to believe that extraordinary generosity and compassion for each other is part of the Columbus experience.
In an effort to make folks all over Ohio aware of the importance of registering as donors, Donate Life Ohio has launched a Digital Donor Designation Drive. It is a good-natured competition between the major cities in Ohio with the goal of registering more organ, eye and tissue donors to help save lives.
This April, five cities – Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo – are squaring off in a friendly competition to generate the most participation in the Digital Donor Designation Drive via Facebook.
I encourage you to check in and show that Columbus is not only the greatest city in Ohio but that we support saving lives through donation! (Cleveland is currently winning – YIKES!) Then share the competition your Facebook friends and encourage them to do the same.
When you arrive at the Donate Life Ohio Facebook page you will see the Designation Drive tab, then you will be encouraged to do three things:
1. Check In.
Visitors to the Facebook page will use voting buttons to Check In at the drive on behalf of your city:
The city with the most check ins on April 30 will be named the winner of the drive!
The check-in function also contains fields where users may enter to win a Donate Life Ohio t-shirt if your city wins the drive. Should Columbus be named the winning city, 50 Columbus participants will be mailed a free t-shirt.
2. Learn.
Once you have checked in, check out the educational information about what it means to be a registered organ and tissue donor, and how each registered donor has the potential to save 8 lives and enhance 50 more through donation.
3. Register.
The final link on the page directs users to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ secure online registry, where you can easily and securely join the Ohio Donor Registry.
Give HOPE to the 3,400 Ohioans waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and help our city experience the joy of saving lives!
Vote for Columbus in the Donate Life Ohio Digital Donor Designation Drive and register online today.
- Marilyn Pongonis, director of communications
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