Gift of Life Donor Program works with community members of all ages to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation throughout the region. One way organ and donation can be discussed is through college campuses across the area- making sure that young adults have the correct information about donation.
Students at Central Penn College are committing to educating their peers about organ and tissue donation. On Friday, April 20, The Central Penn Public Relations Club will be holding Blue and Green Day on campus- in hopes to inspire their peers to register to become an organ and tissue donor.
LaTanya Gilbert, Central Penn College PR Club President, gave Gift of Life some insight on the big day, and what students hope to accomplish.
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How did Central Penn get involved with Donate Life and Gift of Life Donor Program?
Central Penn College’s public relations club worked with an agency representing Gift of Life Donor Program in the summer of 2011 to help with street team marketing at a family festival in Harrisburg, Pa. The club members were introduced to Dwendy Johnson, who works with Gift of Life. The students were motivated to raise awareness about organ donation after learning about the process from Dwendy and her team.
How many students are involved in the preparation and execution of Blue and Green day?
Eight PR club members are dedicated to Blue and Green Day at Central Penn College. The club has worked diligently to prepare for Blue and Green Day for the past two months, and now that all students have returned to school from spring break, we are ready to start spreading the word!
What is Blue and Green Day? Why is Central Penn participating in it?
April 20 is National Donate Life Blue and Green Day, in support of organ and tissue donation. Due to the importance of this life-saving decision, Central Penn’s PR club will be asking students, faculty and staff to wear blue and green on this day to help draw attention to organ donation on both a local and national stage. Those people who post their blue and green outfit pictures on the Donate Life America Facebook page will have a chance to win $100 for the best blue and green “look.”
Why is it so important to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation, especially on a college campus?
There are several myths about organ donation that exist throughout nation, including that doctors and first responders will not save organ donors’ lives so their organs in order to stock up on supplies. During a Central Penn PR club meeting, it was determined that many students on campus believe this myth to be true. It is important that the PR club work to dispel this myth and help educate students, as well as faculty and staff, on the life-saving benefits of organ donation. Also, students need to be given the opportunity to help others. This is especially true at Central Penn, which is a college that works prepare its graduates to be contributing members of society.
How will Penn Central raise awareness for organ and tissue donation during Blue and Green Day?
The students are organizing a Blue and Green Day event on April 20 that will include an informational booth in the largest hub on campus. At the booth, which will be designed to look like a photo booth, visitors will have the opportunity to have a photo taken of their blue and green “look” by a professional photographer. In addition to the availability of organ donation information and giveaways, visitors can sign an organ donation pledge wall that states individuals’ support of organ donation and/or their connection to it. To advertise for this event, the club will send communications through campus e-newsletters, flyers and social media. Broadcast media will be invited to cover the event, and capture the great visuals of a group Blue and Green Day photo, the photo booth and Heart Man.
What are some of your goals for this year’s Blue and Green Day?
We aim to inspire 10 students to sign up to become organ donors, and take 50 photographs of students, faculty and staff in their blue and green “look.” The PR club students who participated in the Gift of Life educational program last year all changed their perspective on organ donation. The students went from either not fully understanding the importance of organ donation or believing the myths surrounding it, to all becoming organ donors. They want to help open the eyes of others on campus who have not yet been exposed to the benefits of becoming on organ donor.
What do you hope students and faculty take away from Blue and Green Day?
The club aspires to motivate students, faculty and staff to save lives by becoming organ donors. Members of the PR club have been moved by Gift of Life and Dwendy Johnson and would like to help the cause any way we can. A virtual fashion show with a social media site as the platform is a great start for a college audience and we are honored to have such a major role in the campaign. We look forward to educating students, faculty and staff about organ donation prior to the event through targeted messaging. This way, people can be inspired to get involved, get information on becoming an organ donor, and paint the campus in blue and green on April 20!
According to the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, “Despite the progress our nation has made over the past 50 years, racial and ethnic minorities still lag behind the general population on many health fronts. Minorities are less likely to get the preventive care they need to stay healthy, more likely to suffer from serious illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer, and they are less likely to have access to quality health care.”
