Aurora Mayor and Council Proclaim City as the First Donate Life Community Partner in Colorado

In an effort to raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation, the Aurora city government and partners work with Donor Alliance and residents touched by donation to celebrate the cause

In a robust display of grassroots support, the Aurora city government is declaring its support for organ, eye and tissue donation. These efforts are in support of the need to raise awareness and advocacy for donation, while honoring the generosity of organ, eye and tissue donors and their families. This proclamation also commemorates all transplant donors and recipients in the Aurora community.

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Jennifer Prinz, CEO of Donor Alliance (Photo: Business Wire)

To save and heal lives and create a culture where donation is embraced as a fundamental human responsibility, Donate Life Colorado is partnering with the City of Aurora in the first official Donate Life Community Program in Colorado. The program aims to inspire Aurora to work with their Donate Life recovery agencies to promote organ, eye and tissue donation to its community residents through education and donor registration opportunities.

“As home to two major transplant centers with the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora is an ideal fit to be the first Donate Life Community in Colorado,” said Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman. “Aurora is a diverse city, with one in five residents born outside the United States, and more than 160 languages spoken, and this partnership is a great opportunity to encourage donor registration to benefit underrepresented communities. I am thankful for all Aurorans who have already gone through the simple steps to sign up as organ, eye and tissue donors, and hope that all others learn more about the benefits of donor registration through this initiative.”

Donor Alliance continues to invest in tools, technology and personnel to increase lifesaving and life healing organ, eye, and tissue donation. In 2021, Donor Alliance invested in preservation equipment to increase liver transplantation. More than 1 million residents signed up to become donors in 2021, with more than 980,000 Coloradans and over 83,000 Wyomingites adding their names to the organ, eye and tissue donor registries. Both Colorado and Wyoming also maintained some of the nation’s highest donor designation rates, or the percentage of individuals joining the state donor registries, at 67% and 61% respectively—well above the national average of 49%, according to Donate Life America.

“This widespread, localized show of support bears witness to the impact donation and transplantation have on our Colorado communities. Our state boasts some of the highest rates of donation in the country, which is a testament to the generosity of our donors, donor families, Aurora residents and people across Colorado,” said Jennifer Prinz, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. “You may be surprised to know that more than 1,500 people in our region are still waiting for lifesaving transplant, so it is critical that we continue to speak out on the importance of the cause. We encourage citizens to look for partnership activities throughout Aurora in 2022 and 2023, and to consider giving the gift of life by registering as organ, eye and tissue donors.”

With more than 398,000 residents, Aurora is Colorado’s third-largest city and has some of the nation’s top medical centers performing transplants on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Coloradans can register their decision to be donors by saying Yes each time they obtain or renew a driver license or state ID, or at www.DonateLifeColorado.org anytime.

About Donor Alliance

Donor Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. As the organ and tissue procurement agency for Colorado and most of Wyoming, Donor Alliance serves more than 6.2 million residents and more than 110 hospitals. Donor Alliance adheres to the highest medical, regulatory and ethical standards, and meets every performance standard. By respectfully working with the families of organ and tissue donors, maintaining partnerships with hospitals, educating residents on the life-saving benefits of donation and inspiring them to sign up on the state’s donor registry, Donor Alliance is able to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Colorado and Wyoming boast some of the highest rates of donor registration in the country, which directly translates to more lives saved and healed through organ and tissue transplantation. Donor Alliance is one of 58 federally designated organizations of its kind in the United States. For more information visit DonorAlliance.org or the Donate Life Colorado or Donate Life Wyoming Facebook pages.

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