A number of

recent and ongoing events are emphasizing the importance of organ and

tissue donation in saving lives and improving quality of life.

"Tell

Your Family" billboards are dotting Georgia's roads and highways

as part of the Georgia Coalition on Donation's statewide campaign to encourage

Georgians to become eye, organ and tissue donors.

More than 450

billboards are up in cities like Atlanta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah and

Augusta for the next few months.

"The donor

shortage in Georgia is critical, and the billboards will serve as a reminder

to all Georgians that donation is about giving the gift of life to another

person," said Jennie P. Perryman, R.N., Ph.D., chairperson of the

Georgia Coalition on Donation.

"Hopefully,

the billboards also will serve as a reminder to all Georgians that the

best way to become a donor is to discuss your decision with family members

so they can honor your decision. If you sign a donor card and don't tell

your family, then you aren't a donor."

The campaign

has been in the planning stages since the waiting list for those in need

of organ transplants at Georgia's transplant centers jumped above 1,000

last year, the highest number recorded since Georgia's first kidney transplant

was performed in 1966.

The billboard

campaign is a part of a statewide education campaign implemented by the

Georgia Coalition on Donation. The campaign includes public service announcements,

a college campaign and a religious campaign.

Perryman says

that Georgia loses many potential donors each year because family members

were not made aware of a person's wishes concerning organ donation.

"At the

time of death your next of kin will be asked if you would want to be a

donor," said Perryman. "If you haven't had a discussion with

your loved ones about your donor decision then they will not be able to

convey those wishes for you. If you want to be a donor, be sure to tell

you family and ask that they make your wishes known and sign the consent

for donation for you at your death."

Georgia is

not the only state with a big donor shortage. There are now more than

74,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, and a new person

is added to the list every 14 seconds.

But more than

6,000 died while waiting for an organ last year, averaging 16 deaths on

the list per day. Hundreds of thousands more are awaiting tissue transplants

to improve their quality of life.

Recently, in

an attempt to diminish the chasm between the large need for organ donors

and the actual number of donors, living donation, with the advent of improved

surgical techniques, has resurfaced as a viable option in some instances

of kidney and liver transplantation.

The Georgia

Coalition on Donation is one of 50 nonprofit local coalitions and 50 national

organizations dedicated to educating the public about organ and tissue

donation, correcting misconceptions and creating a greater willingness

to donate.

For a free

brochure and donor card, call 1-800-355-SHARE. For more information, contact

the Georgia Coalition on Donation at 1-800-544-6667 or www.shareyourlife.org .

In other recent

news concerning organ donation, Governor Roy Barnes proclaimed March 2001

as Eye Donor Month in Georgia, urging every Georgian to give the gift

of sight by making the decision to become an eye donor and discussing

that wish with his or her family.

A number of

members of the Georgia Coalition on Donation and Georgia Eye Bank attended

the signing ceremony to demonstrate their support of eye, organ and tissue

donation.

Georgia Eye

Bank is a nonprofit organization dedicated to being a world leader in

eye banking. During 2000, the Eye Bank provided tissue for approximately

1,000 surgeries.

Since its founding

in 1961, Georgia Eye Bank has helped restore the sight of more than 23,000

people, offering solace to grieving families by providing an opportunity

for something positive to come from the loss of a loved one.

For additional

information and donor cards, please call Georgia Eye Bank at 404-264-1900

or 1-800-342-9812.

Getting donor

information is becoming easier through new kiosks being installed in driver's

license locations across the state by LifeLink of Georgia.

The educational

kiosks, each of which resembles a video arcade game, house donor cards,

handouts and an educational video that, along with organ donation public

service announcements, will play continuously throughout the day at the

different locations.

"We wanted

to bring the organ donation information directly to the people,"

said Bobbi Beatty, vice president /executive director of LifeLink of Georgia.

"Everyone

who obtains or renews their Georgia driver's license goes through these

facilities. Many of these people have additional questions about donation.

We have tried to cover the basics and address the most commonly asked

questions about this issue in our video and through our handouts."

The four-minute

video features testimonials by Gov. Barnes, a transplant recipient, a

donor family member, and a supervisor from the Georgia driver's license

office.

"Organ

donation did help our family in our grieving process when we lost our

son Clayton," said donor mother Ann Sechrist. "When I was asked

to participate in this video, I became very excited. In addition to my

regular volunteer work, which involved speaking to groups about how my

son helped more than 40 people through his donation, I have the opportunity

to let thousands of Georgians know how important it is to talk to family

members about this issue."

The kiosk project,

which is one of the largest public educational initiatives about organ

and tissue donation in Georgia's history, is funded by the Carlos and

Marguerite Mason Trust.

For more information,

call 1-800-544-6667 or visit www.lifelinkfound.org .