“I Heart Life,” a four-day series of awareness activities for the nonprofit Donate Life, kicked off in chapel on Monday, Nov. 26.
The American Marketing Association Case Class, an elective course for marketing majors, organized the event. The class members, seniors Monica Woods, Shelby Babcock, Matt Mead, Paula Morales and junior Jeremiah McAlister began working on the project at the beginning of the semester as part of a nationwide marketing competition.
Mead said while the week was designed as part of a project, the class goal went beyond winning a competition.
“It’s a project but we think it’s a good cause too,” Mead said. “The ultimate goal is to help generate more organ donors for the age group of 18 to 25 and brand aware- ness for the organization Donate Life so they can continue their efforts to help alleviate the need for organ donors.”
Donate Life is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation. According to Donatelife.net, there are about 114,712 patients waiting on organs as of July. Despite recent advances in medicine and technology, the need for donated organs is vastly greater than the number available for transplant.
In preparation for the week, the team conducted surveys and focus groups to learn more about students’ reasoning for deciding whether or not to be organ donors. Mead said their research showed that most people said they had a lack of information about organ donation. For this reason the team took on the task of not only registering more donors, but to creating informed organ donation advocates.
Monday’s events honored Ty Osman’s decision to be an organ donor. Osman, a Harding student, had his organs donated after his death in 2012. On Tuesday students were given the opportunity to visit the Student Center booth to register to be a donor and dress up like Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson. On Wednesday the case team had a free showing of the movie “Elf” to get students in the spirit of giving. Events concluded yesterday with a chicken biscuit give-away to the first 100 students who signed up to become organ donors.
Morales said through the activities the team hoped to dissolve common myths about organ donation and encourage students to take part in a cause that is saving lives.
“We want to inform students and the public in general that there is a need for organ donation and that they have the power to become hope to someone else by registering and giving the gift of life,” Morales said. “We are not asking for money or time, we just want them to know that through a conscious decision of donating their organs after death, they can improve the quality of life of someone and consequently of an entire family.”
