Approximately 3,200 Michigan patients are waiting for life-saving organ transplants. Thousands more need life-enhancing tissue and cornea transplants. You can help to save and heal lives right here in Michigan by signing up your high school's HOSA chapter for the Gift of Life HOSA Challenge!
The Gift of Life HOSA Challenge is a three-week competition to see which HOSA chapter can add the most new names to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry or complete the most activities to inspire people to support donation. Prizes will be awarded to the top performer in each category (most new donor registrations/most activities). The prizes include $500 cash, a pizza party and a plaque presentation at the Spring Leadership Conference. In addition, we’ll raffle off a pizza party for chapters that register at least 25 new donors and achieve 100 activity points. Every chapter that participates in the challenge will also receive recognition at the Spring Leadership Conference.
Challenge dates: February 11 – March 1, 2019
To register your chapter: Download the free Gift of Life HOSA app on the Apple App Store or Google Play and fill out the registration form in the app, or fill out the registration form HERE.
Entry deadline: Thursday, January 31, 2019
Information for parents: Anyone may join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, including minors. Parents may legally revoke the decision of a minor to be a donor until that individual turns 18. We encourage anyone considering the decision to be a donor to discuss it with their family.
Anyone can remove their name from the registry by contacting Gift of Life Michigan or by visiting a Secretary of State office.
Questions? Contact us at info@golm.org or 866-500-5801.
Driver's Education
Since 2012, every driver education school in Michigan is mandated to spend 10 minutes educating Segment 2 students about organ, tissue and eye donation. Gift of Life Michigan provides all the necessary materials - free of charge!
An integral part of that education segment is a short video that shares the stories of teens who have received organ transplants and whose family members were organ donors. The video is available on YouTube and as a DVD that can be sent to teachers.
Additionally, Gift of Life provides a sample script for teachers (driver education teacher toolkit) and giveaways to engage students so they are prepared to make this important decision when they apply for their driver's license. Volunteers may be available to share their personal stories and answer common questions about donation, as well. For more information or to order supplies for your class, contact Jennifer Tislerics by email or call 734-922-1048.
High School Programs
Our volunteers and staff provide inspiring, educational presentations to hundreds of high school students across the state each year. Many students take it a step further and coordinate organ donor registry sign-up tables in school and at parent/teacher conferences or sporting events! Students have inspired hundreds of people to sign up to #DonateLife.
Contact us to request a presentation and to see how we can help your students engage in an easy community service opportunity that saves lives.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
Many Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have earned the national Donor Awareness Patch since it was declared a Presidential Good Turn in 1986. Usually, a Donor Awareness Patch is awarded to a Scout the first time he is successful in getting an adult family member, friend, relative, or other acquaintance to agree to become an organ donor. Gift of Life is happy to provide handouts for your group and to support Eagle Scout donor drive projects. Volunteers and staff may be available to share personal stories and information about organ, tissue and eye donation. Contact us for details. Please confirm availability of the Patch with your local Scout Shop.
There is no formal nationwide organ donor awareness program for Girl Scouts, but many Michigan troops host presentations and provide opportunities for Girl Scouts to take the message into their communities. A limited number of Donate Life Girl Scout patches are available for troops that participate in educational programs and those that inspire others to #DonateLife. Donor Registry drives are a great project for Silver and Gold Awards! Gift of Life volunteers and staff may be available to share personal stories and information about organ, tissue and eye donation. Contact us for details.
Left: Boy Scout Donor Awareness Patch
Right: Girl Scout Donate Life Patch