April is National Donate Life Month

Erie County Clerk Kearns urges motorists to register as organ donors

√ Check the box YES and save a life

Submitted by Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns

Each year in April, my office is proud to join Donate Life New York State (NYS) in celebrating National Donate Life Month. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the lifesaving benefits of organ, eye and tissue donation, and to honor those who have helped save lives through their generous gifts. By enabling our customers to enroll in the NYS Donate Life Registry, our local Department of Motor Vehicles offices play a crucial role in saving and healing the lives of thousands of New Yorkers in need of transplants. The Gift of Life can take many forms and is made up of countless stories, personalities and backgrounds.

Just one organ donor can save up to eight lives by donating hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, pancreases and intestines. Additionally, a tissue or eye donor can improve the lives of over 75 individuals by restoring eyesight, helping burn patients fight infections, and preventing mobility loss or disability.

Currently, more than 8,100 New Yorkers are waiting for life-saving transplants, including nearly 800 people here in Western New York. The demand is overwhelming, as many more individuals are seeking life-enhancing tissue and eye donations.

We are very proud of the significant role Erie County Auto Bureau plays in saving lives through the NYS Donate Life Registry. Since 2017, over 212,000 Erie County motorists have enrolled in the Donate Life Registry at their local auto bureau. Erie County has surpassed the statewide average, with 63.5% of eligible customers checking the “YES” box for this lifesaving cause, compared to the statewide figure of 51.2%. These unprecedented enrollment numbers are a point of pride for the staff at Erie County Auto Bureau.

I want to express my gratitude to the staff of the Erie County Auto Bureau for its efforts in raising awareness and providing important information on the significance of organ, tissue and eye donation. Together with our community partners at Connect Life and Donate Life New York State, we have made significant progress in enrollments in Erie County, but there is still much work to be done.

I encourage all motorists aged 16 and older to visit any Erie County Auto Bureau office to enroll and add the “Organ Donor” designation to their driver’s license or non-driver ID. Simply check “YES” and sign the New York state organ donation consent on the driver’s license application or when registering your vehicle in person for the first time. When you do, a heart symbol and the words "Organ Donor" will appear on the front of your new driver’s license or non-driver identification card at no additional cost. So, when someone asks, “Do you have a heart?” you can proudly respond, “YES!”

According to Connect Life, 83% of current registrants have enrolled through their local DMV when applying for or renewing their driver’s license, learner’s permit, or non-driver ID. To learn more about saving lives through organ, eye, tissue and blood donation or to enroll, please contact Connect Life Blood and Organ Donor Network at 716-529-4300 or visit the Donate Life Registry website at donatelife.ny.gov.