Don't Wait - Do It Now!(TM) Become an Organ and Ti...( COLUMBUS Ohio Nov. 25 /- The need for...)

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The need for organ and tissue donation increases daily. In Ohio, nearly 3,000 people are waiting for a life saving organ transplant and many more are in need of tissue. Four Ohioans die each week waiting for a transplant. What better gift to give during this holiday season than the opportunity to save a life by becoming an organ and tissue donor.

Efforts from last year's Do It Now!(TM) College Challenge added 125,000 new organ and tissue donors to the Ohio Donor Registry. Yet while the campaign was a success, there is still a need for more registered donors. For the second year, Ohio colleges and universities are spearheading a statewide effort to register organ and tissue donors throughout the state by encouraging Ohioans to Do It Now!

"While the Do It Now! College Challenge was a success last year, the need is still urgent. Less than one percent of all hospital deaths meet the criteria for organ donation, just one in a hundred," said Chuck Heald, team leader, Donate Life Ohio. "That is why it is so critical for individuals to make a donation decision in advance. One organ and tissue donor has the power to save the lives of up to eight people and heal up to 50 more through tissue donation. They just need to do it now and register."

Funded by the Second Chance Trust Fund, Donate Life Ohio's affiliated organ, tissue and eye recovery agencies took on the challenge to increase the number of new organ and tissue donor designations for a second year. The nationally directed goal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has challenged Ohio to add 240,000 new designations by June 30, 2009.

Sixteen colleges and universities throughout Ohio are participating in this year's college challenge, a marketing and public relations competition to see whose communications campaign can register the most donors. They will use a number of strategies inc
'/>"/>