TFL: Mission and Project Outline

TRANSPLANT FOR LIFE is committed to motivating more clergy and members of synagogues, churches, and temples through grassroots efforts to become catalysts and ongoing participants in saving lives. More then 56,000 Americans are on the waiting list and more then 4,000 die each year due to the lack of organ and tissue donation. Our religious institutions can help make a real difference in lowering and even eliminating these deaths. All mainstream religions agree that organ and tissue donation represents one of the highest forms of loving, giving and caring. TRANSPLANT FOR LIFE seeks to increase substantially organ and tissue donation by creating an ongoing year- round awareness program. Involving the entire family is a vital component of this program. Informed consent of family members is necessary for the donor’s wishes to be carried out. Furthermore, all members of the family are in turn potential donors. Houses of Worship as a united force will provide a powerful grassroots base in supporting federal and state legislation leading to greater organ and tissue donation.

The pilot project, which will be focused in the Jewish religious community of Southern California, and is anticipated, will serve as a model for other religious affiliations and communities throughout the nation. The pilot has been designed so that the model can easily be replicated. The pilot is scheduled to begin on or about September 1,1998 and the first stage of this project will culminate with National Donor Sabbath, which the Department of Health Resources and Services Administration, Division of Transplantation has designated to take place on the November 13-15 weekend. We anticipate that this event, when proven successful, will become the annual capstone for the TRANSPLANT FOR LIFE year round campaigns.

TRANSPLANT FOR LIFE is affiliated with the IRVING GRANT SERVICE CENTER at Temple Kol Tikvah (Voice of Hope) Woodland Hills, California. This project anticipates a proactive partnership with numerous organizations associated with organ and tissue donation. These organizations include the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, the four religious organizations representing the four branches of Judaism, the Division of Transplantation, Organ Procurement Organizations, the Coalition on Organ Donation, United National Organ Sharing. Various religious support organizations have also indicated their complete support for this project. At this early stage we have had discussions about our project with a number of these organizations. The response has been enthusiastic and promising.

Our HOW-TO- GRASSROOTS OUTLINE AND GUIDE will be a work in progress, beginning with Part I, which will cover the project’s effectiveness in mobilizing the Jewish religious community to participate in NATIONAL DONOR SABBATH. Part II will be based on the projects experience in providing a year round awareness program in the temples and synagogues and Part III will provide guidance in launching a political program from this base to help increase organ and tissue donation. These sections and the conclusions reached by the TRANSPLANT FOR LIFE group anticipates publication via of a web site to be available sometimes
in the month of June 1999.

To help religious institutions prepare for NATIONAL DONOR SABBATH; the Division of Transplantation offers a GUIDELINE AND RESOURCE Kit. Materials made available by members of the Coalition on Donation, UNOS, and other organizations involved in the organ and tissue effort will be referred to in the TRANSPLANT FOR LIFE GUIDE.