Dunk tank, food truck kick off Donate Life Month on April 1

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A Donate Life Day celebration – including radio partners, food truck, and dunk tank – kicks off National Donate Life Month at GRHealth on April 1.

The GRHealth Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program will partner with patient volunteers for the event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the flagpole outside Georgia Regents Medical Center on the corner of 15^th and Harper streets.

Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. will speak, followed by a donor registration drive by the LifeLink Foundation. On site will be WBBQ (104-FM), who will broadcast from the event, and the Fat Man’s Café food truck.

“This event celebrates those that have saved lives through organ donation. We want to honor the gift of organ donation while also raising awareness of the critical need for more donors,” said Dr. Todd Merchen, Surgical Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program.

In Augusta, more than 1,120 patients are currently on the waiting list for a new kidney or pancreas.

Nationwide, nearly 124,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant. More than 1,000 are under the age of 10.

Celebrated in April each year, National Donate Life Month features a range of local, regional, and national activities to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors. At GRHealth, events include Donate Life Night with The Augusta Greenjackets on April 20 and a T-shirt sale.

The purchase of a “Give Life” T-shirt helps fund the development of a commemorative tribute to organ donors and annual ceremony celebrating the gift of life. Purchase a T-shirt or learn more about becoming a living donor.