College Students throughout Delaware "Get Twisted" to support organ and tissue donation

11/17/2009

This spring, three Delaware colleges, one in each county, will hold a Get Twisted event, a game in which students twist around each other on a giant floor mat to reach a designated organ – heart, lung, kidney, or liver – symbolizing how organ donors intertwine their lives with others. The Get Twisted games will highlight the importance of organ and tissue donation and encourage students to register online as donors. Two schools, Delaware State University and Delaware Technical and Community College – Owens Campus, will hold their games during National Donate Life Month in April. The University of Delaware will hold its game in early May.

This initiative is sponsored by Gift of Life Donor Program (GLDP) – the region’s organ and tissue donor program, serving Delaware, the eastern half of Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey – in collaboration with the colleges and sponsoring student organizations.

“When you designate yourself as an organ and tissue donor, you demonstrate your commitment to saving lives,” said Howard M. Nathan, president and CEO, GLDP. “That’s why we thought the Get Twisted game would provide a very visual and fun representation of how our lives connect through organ and tissue donation. We appreciate the support of the schools and the students who are participating in – and organizing and running – the events. With 101,000 people across the country awaiting transplants that will save their lives, it’s crucial to raise awareness about the need and to sign up more donor designees,” he added.

The games are being sponsored and organized by student groups on each campus. The events will be held as follows:

• Delaware Technical & Community College – Owens Campus. Student Lounge, Student Services Building. Thursday, April 23, 2009. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  Sponsored by the Student Services Department as part of National Volunteer Week.
• Delaware State University. Memorial Hall Gymnasium. Saturday, April 25, 2009. Noon to 3 p.m.
  Sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and Student Health Center.
• University of Delaware. (Location to be announced.) May 8, 2009. 3 to 5:30 p.m.
  Sponsored by Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and Delta Gamma sorority.

All students participating in the games will receive information about the importance of organ and tissue donation, and will be able to register as organ and tissue donors on-the-spot.

As of January 2009, 293,984 people were designated organ and tissue donors in Delaware, representing 40.66 percent of the population. Gift of Life has a goal of increasing donor designations by an additional 15,000 during 2009. These events are part of activities planned to raise awareness, and help people learn how just how easy it is to sign up to be a donor.

For more details about the Get Twisted events and to sign up as an organ donor, visit http://gettwisted.donatelife-de.org. It only takes about 90 seconds and one person can save or enhance 50 lives.