Information for Teachers
Gift of Life Donor Program offers youth education programs to give students the information necessary to make an informed decision about donation.
Volunteers, most of whom have first-hand experience with organ transplantation either as an organ or tissue recipient or a donor family member, are available to present educational programs. Speakers will provide a general overview on organ donation, often using personal experiences to tell their stories. In addition to speaking, we use informational materials to reinforce the education process. The focus of the program is to educate and encourage discussion about donation, not to recruit students to become donors.
Zoom+ Students at Rowan University hold the annual Organ Donor Day on campus in 2008.
Educators may contact Gift of Life to request information, educational materials, or to request a speaker. Gift of Life Donor Program is pleased to provide our youth education materials free of charge for all schools located in our service area. To schedule a program at your school, please contact the Community Relations department at Gift of Life by calling 800-DONORS-1 or via e-mail.
School Summit for Life
Spirit for Life Student Summits offers high school teachers and students a unique and exciting day of workshops designed to train students as ambassadors for organ and tissue donation. These Summits are open to all area high schools (public, charter, parochial, or private) and not limited to Philadelphia County.
Additionally, a grant program funded by Donors Are Heroes is open to all Philadelphia County high schools (public, charter, parochial, or private).
High schools across Pennsylvania have undertaken innovative and creative projects to promote organ donation. To help students succeed with their projects, materials and resources meeting PA Education Standards are available at no cost. Technical Assistance is offered throughout the grant process and project initiation.
With nearly 6,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplant in Gift of Life's service region, there is an urgent need to increase awareness and encourage individuals to register as organ and tissue donors. Teachers and their students are key to increasing awareness and saving lives.
Contact Gift of Life's Community Education Coordinator Todd Franzen at 215-557-8090, ext. 1173 or e-mail him.
Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness (OTDA)
The mission of the Organ Tissue Donation Awareness Project (OTDA) is to implement organ/tissue donation and transplantation education in Pennsylvania's secondary schools. To this end, OTDA now provides a step-by-step toolkit and guide for secondary education teachers to implement in various classes across the curriculum. The toolkit includes PowerPoint presentations, video downloads, photographs, and access to a listserv. The OTDA Education Project gives teachers concrete tools to provide students with in-depth knowledge and skills needed to understand the donation process.
Contact Todd Franzen to arrange for a speaker for your school or to get more information about this life-saving educational program.
Events & Meetings 
The Interactive Body
Explore the Interactive Body to learn about organs and tissues needed for others awaiting transplants.
