Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network joins communities across Illinois and northwest Indiana to inspire 25,000 new donor registrations this April.
ITASCA, Ill. (March 31, 2025) – Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is urging residents in the northern three quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana to “Say Yes!” to registering as organ and tissue donors during National Donate Life Month in April.
More than 104,000 adults and children in the U.S.—including more than 5,000 in Illinois and Indiana—are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, with a new person added to the national transplant waitlist every 7.5 minutes.
The need is critical. 95% of people in the United States support donation, yet fewer than 60% are registered organ, eye and tissue donors. Illinois and northwest Indiana residents can learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and register their decision at giftofhope.org. Residents can also register through the Illinois Secretary of State’s Life Goes On website, the Donate Life Indiana donor registry, or in person at a state driver’s services facility.
Throughout April, hundreds of advocates including hospitals, coroners, funeral directors, ambassadors, municipalities and other community partners throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana will join Gift of Hope to organize events in support of organ and tissue donation, commemorate donors and their families and offer hope to the thousands of adults and children waiting for a second chance at life.
In public display of support for donation and to bring attention to the critical need for people to register as donors, the following landmarks across Illinois will “Light It Up Purple” this month:
- Murray Baker Bridge in Peoria, Ill., April 1
- Rockford City Hall in Rockford, Ill., April 4
- Morgan Street Bridge in Rockford, Ill., April 4
- Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford, Ill., April 4
- Navy Pier Centennial Ferris Wheel in Chicago, Ill., April 5
- Willis Tower in Chicago, Ill., April 5 – 6
“This National Donate Life Month, we are proud of the joint effort of our community, partners and advocates to encourage everyone who isn’t registered as a donor to learn more about donation, register as a donor and talk to their family about their decision,” said Harry Wilkins, MD, President/CEO of Gift of Hope. “Together, we can bring hope and healing to the more than 104,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.”
Almost everyone has the opportunity to save lives through donation. One individual can save up to eight lives as an organ donor, heal more than 75 people in need of skin grafts, bone or tendon grafts or other donated tissue, and help restore sight for two people.
About Gift of Hope
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network is the nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides public education on donation in Illinois and northwest Indiana. As one of 55 OPOs that make up the nation’s organ donation system, Gift of Hope works with 180 hospitals and serves 12 million people in its donation service area. Since 1986, its work has saved the lives of more than 29,000 organ transplant recipients and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. For more information, visit giftofhope.org.