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Donate Life Month: April 2025
OneLegacy Public Education Partnership
Since 2005, OneLegacy has requested the support of Southern California civic and community leaders to celebrate and encourage the gift of life at the Donate Life Run/Walk and throughout Donate Life Month. As leaders of your community, we hope you will join us in taking steps to raise awareness of the vital need for organ and tissue donors, celebrating and embracing the generous choice to give the gift of life.
The Need: Over 20,000 Californians need a life-saving
transplant
Even though more than 100 people per day received a life-saving transplant in 2024, about 17 die every day still waiting .
California has only 12% of the nation’s population, but nearly 20% of the nation’s currently- waiting transplant candidates.
Only about half of all Californians are registered organ, eye and tissue donors.
Illnesses that lead to the need for transplant are common. So, education about organ, eye and tissue donation should be common too.
Saying yes to organ, eye and tissue donation is saying yes to LIFE! The Request: Help Us Spread the Word to Save Lives
Celebrate Donate Life Month by sharing information about organ, eye and tissue donation with your residents throughout the month of April. Include a call to action, encouraging residents to “sign up and save lives!” by visiting donatelifecalifornia.org/OneLegacy/ Using our ready-made tools, you can enhance organ, eye and tissue donation awareness via your… Social Media Platforms
Email Newsletters
Utility Bill Inserts
City Website
City Proclamation
And more!
Getting started is as easy as Copy & Paste! Click here to begin:
https://www.onelegacy.org/wp/national-observances-toolkit
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2025 Donate Life Run/Walk:
Join Us on Saturday, April 26!
We invite you to join us in-person for the 23rd annual
Donate Life Run/Walk on Saturday, April 26, 2025!
As an elected leader in our community, your
participation sets an important tone for your
constituents, and means the world to the Donate
Life community. Please feel free to share
information about the Run/Walk with your friends and family as well. The more, the merrier! Join us for our 2025 OneLegacy Donate Life Run Walk to run or walk with your team and celebrate the power of organ, eye and tissue donation.
Founded in 2003 by local organizers Craig and Kathleen Hostert of Fullerton, the annual OneLegacy Donate Life Run/Walk is the largest event of its kind in the nation. The event features an inspiring opening ceremony, competitive 5K run and healthy 5K/1K walk, followed by a Family Festival with food vendors, live entertainment, special activities for children and a raffle drawing.
A non-competitive 5K/1K Run/Walk to educate and inspire the community about organ, eye, and tissue donation with proceeds benefiting the OneLegacy Foundation.
Link to Sign Up: https://www.givesignup.org/Race/CA/Azusa/DONATELIFERunWalk
Above & Beyond – More Ways to Educate, Inspire, and Save Lives Do you have additional ideas for how we can reach the community with this important message? Do you have general questions, comments, or concerns? Would you like an educational presentation about organ eye and tissue donations for your staff or community group? We want to hear from you! To submit events for OneLegacy Consideration, visit https://www.onelegacy.org/community/
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Facts about Donation and Transplantation: Did you know…? THE GIFT – One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight (8) people by donating their heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and small intestines.
THE GIFT – On average, one tissue donor can enhance the lives of more than 75 people by donating their corneas, skin, bones, and heart valves, among others.
THE NEED – More than 48,000 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2024, which was possible through the generosity of deceased and living donors.
THE NEED – Over 100,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S.; over 20,000 in California alone.
THE NEED – 17 patients die every day while waiting because the organ they needed did not become available in time.
THE NEED – The need for transplants is disproportionately high among minority populations. Communities of color often suffer higher incidences of conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, which can lead to the need for a kidney transplant.
DONOR REGISTRATION – To register to be an organ, eye and tissue donor Californians can go to www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org, or its Spanish counter-part www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.
THE FACTS – Patients are fairly matched with a donor based on the severity of their illness, body size, tissue type, blood type and other important medical information.
THE FACTS – Over 39,000 patients have their sight restored every year through cornea transplants.
THE FACTS – Nearly one third of all deceased donors are age 50 or older. People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors.
THE FACTS – Every major religion in the United States supports organ donation as one of the highest expressions of compassion and generosity.
LIVING DONATION - A living donor can provide a kidney or a portion of their liver, lung, pancreas or intestine. To explore living donation, visit www.LivingDonationCalifornia.org Updated: 1/31/2025