CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Donate Life West Virginia will be hosting various events across the state on Friday to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.
Friday is Blue and Green Day and part of National Donate Life Month. and the organization has partnered with several organizations and businesses on getting people interested in registering as organ donors.
“Unfortunately, we have about 112,000 people still waiting on the list for their life-saving transplant, and 500 of those are West Virginians,” said Christy Conley, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education’s West Virginia outreach coordinator. “We still have a lot of work to do to make these life-saving and life-improving things happen for our folks.”
The lights on Charleston’s Elk River Bridge and the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center will be lit blue and green. The donor wall at Charleston Area Medical Center Teays Valley in Hurricane and the hero room at St. Francis hospital in Charleston will be rededicated.
Donate Life West Virginia has also partnered with several bakeries, who will sell special treats promoting organ donor registration:
— Old Mill Bakery in Hurricane.
— Paula Vega Cakes in Huntington.
— Rock City Cake Company in Charleston.
— Quality Bake Shoppe in Moundsville.
— Sweet Nana’s in Clarksburg.
— Noteworthy Swees in Fairmont.
— Busy Bee Bakery in Beckley.
— McHappy’s Donuts & Bake Shoppe in Parkersburg; Point Pleasant; Belpre, Ohio; Athens, Ohio; and Marietta, Ohio.
Conley noted around 33% of West Virginians are registered organ donors. She added registering as an organ donor is a simple process.
“They can go online at donatelifewv.org. They can also register on their driver’s license or their state ID when they renew,” she said. “In the last two years, we’ve been able to get legislation passed that has also allowed registration on your hunting and fishing license.”
Any West Virginian with a state-issued identification card is eligible to register as an organ donor.