American Transplant Foundation and Donor Alliance Announce Video Contest

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AMERICAN TRANSPLANT FOUNDATION and DONOR ALLIANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2010

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AMERICAN TRANSPLANT FOUNDATION AND DONOR ALLIANCE ANNOUNCE VIDEO CONTEST TO PROMOTE DONATE LIFE COLORADO & SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATE

DENVER, CO-– The American Transplant Foundation and Donor Alliance have announced the Show Us Your Heart Video Contest—a contest to promote Donate Life Colorado, the state’s organ and tissue donor registry, and the new Donate Life license plate that is now available for purchase at Title and Registration Offices throughout Colorado.

The contest, which begins March 17 and will run through April 23, will coincide with April’s National Donate Life Month—a time set aside to raise national awareness of the need for organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors.

“One of the nation’s most pressing public health issues is the widening gap between the supply and demand for organ and tissue transplants,” explained Jennifer Prinz, chief operating officer of Donor Alliance, the non-profit organ procurement organization serving Colorado and Wyoming. “It is our hope that the Show Us Your Heart Video Contest will provide a fun and creative outlet that inspires the community to use their imaginative talents to spread the word about the importance of registering one’s decision to be an organ and tissue donor.”

Entering the contest is simple: Contestants create a short video that creatively conveys the importance of organ and tissue donation and explains that Coloradans can register their decision to be organ and tissue donors at Donate Life Colorado.org. Contestants then upload their video to Donate Life Colorado’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/DonateLifeColorado) and, once their video is approved, share their video with everyone they know to maximize the video’s number of views.

The 10 contestants whose videos receive the most views (top 10) as of 5 p.m. April 27 will win Donate Life specialty license plates. The Judges’ Choice Award—a $100 Visa Gift Card—will be awarded to the contestant whose top 10 video is most consistent with the mission of saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The Viewers’ Choice Award—a $100 Visa Gift Card—will be awarded to the contestant whose top 10 video has the highest YouTube rating from viewers. Winners will be announced at www.AmericanTransplantFoundation.org and through email on Wednesday, April 28. The winning videos will be shown at a viewing party to be held at Donor Alliance in Denver on April 29th.

Complete contest details and official rules can be found at www.AmericanTransplantFoundation.org.

“We are excited to get the community involved and to hear from people who care about saving lives through organ and tissue donation,” said Heidi Heltzel, executive director of the Denver-based American Transplant Foundation. “We look forward to watching the fun and creative videos in which people express their support for this cause.”

The Donate Life specialty license plate, which includes the message, “Be an organ and tissue donor,” is an additional tool to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation. It is available for purchase for a one-time $50 fee, which goes to the State of Colorado. The plate can be purchased any time and does not need to coincide with registration renewal.

The Donate Life plate’s creation is the culmination of three years of effort by the American Transplant Foundation.  The foundation collected more than 4,000 signatures of support from Colorado citizens in order to bring the legislation before the Colorado General Assembly. Representative Daniel Kagan and Senator Chris Romer were the sponsors of House Bill 09-1347, which was signed into law by Governor Bill Ritter on June 1, 2009. The Donate Life plate has received broad support from organizations in Colorado’s donation community.

“The law requires a minimum of 3,000 Donate Life plates be in circulation by July 1, 2013,” explained Heidi Heltzel. “To meet this requirement, we encourage all those who support or who have been impacted by organ and tissue donation to assist in promoting the plate by purchasing one for their vehicle.”

To receive additional information about the Show Us Your Heart Video Contest rules and the Donate Life license plate please visit www.AmericanTransplantFoundation.org.

Coloradans can register their decision to be an organ and tissue donor in the following ways:

• Online at www.DonateLifeColorado.org.
• At the Division of Motor Vehicles the next time you obtain or renew your driver’s license.
• By calling the registry at 1-888-256-4386. (automated)