Greensboro, NC-- To them it's a simple, but a life saving question. And asking it enough time has been successful not just for them, but to people on a certain type of waiting list.
That very simple question has also gotten the agency state recognition. "Do you want to be an organ donor?" It is something DMV Examiners across the state ask this on a daily basis to North Carolinians receiving or renewing their driver's licenses or ID cards.
In Greensboro the examiners have raised the bar. Donate Life North Carolina awarded a plaque to the Greensboro-East Driver License Office of the NC Division of Motor Vehicles (NC DMV) for achieving the most improved donor designation rate in its district for 2011. The Greensboro-East office signed up 48.6 percent of its customers as organ and eye donors in 2011, which is a 2.8 percent increase from 2010. Its designation rate for 2011 was slightly below the state average for 2011, which was 52.8 percent.
Donate Life NC recognizes the driver license offices in each of the 14 DMV districts in North Carolina for achieving the highest and the most improved donor designation rates in their respective geographic regions. This is the first year Donate Life NC is awarding the offices with the most improved donor designation rates. The purpose is to share appreciation for the examiners, whose job has a direct impact on the more than 114,000 people across the country waiting for a much needed organ.
How did they do that? "We developed this program in 2010 to acknowledge and honor the efforts of DMV personnel who serve as integral members of our donation and transplantation teams," said Sharon Hirsch, Executive Director of Donate Life NC. "Each day, DMV personnel help facilitate donation wishes as people receive or renew a driver's license or ID card in North Carolina. These decisions have life-saving implications for not only the over 3500 North Carolinians on the waiting list but the tens of thousands across the country awaiting organ transplants. We hope the awards program highlights their efforts and creates more opportunities for people to make the decision to donate."
People here in North Carolina can register by visiting their local DMV office or register online at www.DonateLifeNC.org.