Celebrating Diversity in Donation

In August, we celebrated National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, a collaborative initiative to save and enhance lives in diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye and tissue donation. Our staff members and Ambassadors were hard at work in the community all month, participating at donation information booths at area Walgreens locations, the Missouri State Fair, the North Kansas City Schools convocation kicking off the academic year and the Ryan Grace Memorial Scholarship and Baseball Tournament, as well as festivals such as Hot Alma Nights in Alma, Kansas.

We also shared stories about staff members, donor heroes and volunteer Ambassadors of different races, ethnicities and traditions on our website and social media, and we hosted a lunch and learn with the Greater Kansas City Black Nurses Association (GKCBNA). GKCBNA’s founder, Deborah Washam, RN, MSN, CCM, presented disparities in healthcare that impact African American communities and educated about a range of donation-related myths that can make people less likely to say “yes” to organ, eye and tissue donation.

Regardless of your cultural identity, we encourage you to join the organ, eye and tissue donor registry if you haven’t already done so at ShareLifeMidwest.com, through your iPhone Health app, or at a licensing, treasury or Department of Revenue office.