With a tremendous surge during the final week of the competition, NIU finished atop the standings in the Donate Life Illinois “I Am. Are you?” Campus Challenge.
NIU gained the most registrations out of the 20 participating colleges and universities taking action in support of the 4,700 Illinoisans and 97,000 people nationwide currently in need of lifesaving organ and tissue transplants.
Oct. 1 marked the launch of the inaugural challenge, a friendly statewide lifesaving donor registration competition between Illinois colleges and universities. The challenge was created in response to a statewide poll last year showing that nearly half of adults identifying themselves as registered donors are unaware of Illinois’ new donor registry, established Jan. 1, 2006. In addition, nearly two-thirds of adults in Illinois are unaware of the need to re-register to join the new registry and ensure their wishes as a donor.
The Student Nurses Organization lead the effort at NIU by hosting registration drives on campus, e-mailing the link to the online registry (www.IAmAreYou.org) to contacts and using Facebook to build campaign awareness and promote registration efforts.
“I’m very proud of the effort given by our entire group,” said Hillary Kirschbaum, president of the Student Nurses Organization at NIU. “It feels good to win the challenge, but most importantly, we were able to make a positive impact on a critical public health issue, and hopefully, help save some lives in the process.”
Even though the Campus Challenge has come to a close, Donate Life Illinois campaign efforts will continue on college campuses.
Students, alumni, faculty and all Illinoisans can join the new donor registry by visiting the Donate Life Illinois campaign site at www.IAmAreYou.org; visiting any Illinois state driver’s license facility; or by calling the Illinois Secretary of State Organ/Tissue Donor Program at (800) 210-2106.