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"This community continues to show just how committed it is to helping out its neighbors who are in need. Our continued success is a direct consequence of this altruism, the diligence of the Gift of Life staff, and our trusted hospital partners," said Howard M. Nathan, Gift of Life President and CEO. "We will continue to work in the hopes that one day all patients who are in need of a transplant receive their second chance at life."

Outside the clinical environment, Gift of Life has continued to work in the community to bring a greater awareness to donation and encourage people to register as donors. In Pennsylvania and Delaware, that process has been made easier for its residents with the continued success of online portals, supported by the states' departments of transportation. Both state-centered Web sites were enhanced in the past year and promoted as a means for people to add the donor designation to their driver's license or state I.D. at any time, without having to wait until it comes up for renewal.

New Jersey also took a significant step toward fostering greater education about donation within its state while making it easier for residents to become donors. On December 20, Senate President Richard J. Codey unveiled the New Jersey Hero Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that would help foster a greater understanding of donation while also empowering state residents with the means to say yes to organ and tissue donation. The proposal has two components -- one that would create a curriculum about donation that would be taught throughout state high schools, and the other that would focus residents on saying "Yes" to donation, and do so online.

To aid in these efforts, donation is strongly supported by the 150 hospitals in the Gift of Life region that have worked diligently to ensure every family has the opportunity to donate. The superlative efforts
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