News Release April 01, 2005

Bonfils Blood Center and Donor Awareness Council to Celebrate National Donate Life Month

For more information contact:
Julie Wedding 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (April 1, 2005) - Bonfils Blood Center is teaming up with Donor Awareness Council in support of National Donate Life Month. Bonfils is enhancing its partnership with the Donor Awareness Council by making it easier for blood donors to enroll in the Colorado Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. Donors will be presented with the organ and tissue donor registry sign-up form at the time of registration.

According to the Coalition on Donation, one person is added to the nation's organ transplant waiting list every 13 minutes. And, more than 86,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S. Nearly 1,500 of them are from Colorado.

Bonfils Blood Center is a proud member of the Donor Awareness Council, a local coalition that strives to increase organ and tissue donation through education and awareness.

For more information about the Donor Awareness Council, contact Marlene Murphy, Executive Director, at 303.388.8605 or mmurphy@donor-awareness.org and to join Colorado’s organ and tissue registry, please visit www.coloradodonorregistry.org.

Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 115 healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about scheduling a blood donation, please visit www.bonfils.org or call (303) 363-2300.