Projects - Organ & Tissue Donors

Mission

The mission of the Organ and Tissue Donor Program is to:

• Increase the number of individuals who make the decision to become organ and tissue donors.
  
• Provide widespread, accurate information regarding donation consent.
  
• Offer educational opportunities regarding donation through each Rotarian’s business, church, and civic organization communities.
  
• Create awareness of the urgent need for family discussion regarding the subject of donation and the need to respect the decision and wishes of the individual who desires to be a donor.

Background

In 1998, representatives from five Rotary Districts that were actively promoting organ and tissue donation joined forces to create one comprehensive program to present to districts throughout Rotary International. Under the leadership of Past District Governor Boyd Fulton, the Share Your Life--Give of Yourself! Program was crated by a committee of Rotarians, organ donation professionals, and transplant recipients.

Share Your Life--Give of Yourself! incorporates various materials from three programs that have been in use for several years. The first is the “Give of Yourself” program of District 5280 in California. Through the efforts of Dr. Jordan Phillips, founder of the program, and Past District Governor Bill Bowermaster, thousands of Rotarians have been introduced to organ and tissue donation at international conventions since 1993. 

The second organ-donor program, “Share Your Life,” was developed in 1995 by a committee appointed by Boyd Fulton of District 6760 in Tennessee. The committee included staff from Tennessee Donor Services, one of 63 organ-procurement organizations in the U.S., and Senator Bill Frist, M.D., who served as the Honorary Chairperson. 

The third program began in the Copperfield Rotary Club in 1996 and expanded into a district-wide program in District 5890 under the leadership of Rotarian Jon Eiche.