April is National Donate Life Month
Will you say “yes” this month to registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor if you have not yet signed up to give the gift of life? National Donate Life Month honors donors and it raises awareness to encourage everyone to realize the lifesaving power of donation and transplantation each April.
National Donate Life Blue & Green Day, held on April 11, 2025, was a part of Donate Life America’s National Donate Life Month. Donate Life Maryland (DLM) is a state-authorized nonprofit organization that manages organ, eye, and tissue donor registration in Maryland.
In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation, all Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) staff were encouraged to wear blue and green. Through a partnership, DLM and MDOT MVA urge the community to respond to the call of action to increase the registration as organ, eye and tissue donors.
During April, the Donate Life Maryland flag can be spotted flying at all Maryland MVA branch locations to raise awareness of the need for life-saving transplants.
“Seventeen people die each day waiting for an organ transplant,” said Chrissy Nizer, Administrator of the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.
She added, “It’s not just a designation on a license. It really is about saving lives.”
Many people around the state benefit every day from those in Maryland who have chosen to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Nizer further noted that, as part of an essential partnership between MDOT MVA and Donate Life Maryland, flags will fly at each location throughout the whole month of April.
“Donate Life’s colors are blue and green, and so at the MVA, we are uniting with them to show how important we think organ donation is. And if you think about highway safety and saving lives, the mission of Donate Life is very much aligned with that in terms of the ability to save someone’s life through organ donation,” Nizer stated.
Each organ, eye and tissue donor has the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation and up to 75 lives through tissue donation, according to Donate Life Maryland.
“So, you think about that kind of impact, it’s really profound. We probably all know somebody who’s benefited through organ and tissue donation,” said Nizer.
She noted that MDOT MVA tries to make signing up to become an organ, eye and tissue donor easy and convenient. Customers can sign up online for the organ donor program https://mva.maryland.gov/Pages/programs/organ-donors.aspx or they can take the opportunity to become an organ, eye, and tissue donor when they visit the MVA to complete various tasks, such as renewing their license. First-time drivers who are minors getting a learner’s permit can sign up to become an organ donor if their parents or guardians co-sign and give their consent.
Nizer further addressed a common myth about organ donation. She stated that if someone is in a serious crash, being an organ donor will not impact the efforts of lifesaving medical measures being taken.
“That should not stop you from becoming an organ and tissue donor. It really is something that can save somebody’s life when you might not be here any longer, but you live on through helping other people be happy and healthy. And so, I think that’s the message that we want to send to everybody. We try to make the process as simple as possible, but I know it’s an important decision for somebody to make,” Nizer stated.
Since 2009, MDOT MVA has partnered with DLM to celebrate Donate Life Awareness Month in various ways. Keep in mind that the MVA is appointment-based for most services.
Customers are encouraged to schedule an appointment online to visit a branch. Learn more about organ, eye or tissue donation, or register as a donor, by visiting www.donatelifemaryland.org. More information about DLM’s partnership with the Maryland MVA is available via https://www.donatelifemaryland.org/mva-partnership.
