What stops you from saving lives and registering as an organ donor? Do you believe it is a sin? Do not worry. Organ donation is such a positive thing that churches will celebrate, thank and honor those who have donated. In Chicago alone, there are more than 5,000 people who are waiting for a life-saving organ. The churches will remind people that they have the power to save lives in their hands. Regardless of religious affiliation, congregations and houses of worship across the nation will recognize the lifesaving benefits of organ, eye and tissue donation on November 11-13, in honor of National Donor Sabbath, an ecumenical celebration of life.

“Approximately only 50 percent of those waiting will receive the transplant they need to live,” stated Raiza Mendoza, Hispanic Public Relations and Community Outreach Coordinator at Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, the organization that supports families in Chicago and Indiana regarding donation. “The solution to this problem is to encourage more people to commit to being donors, which is something that can be done in 30 seconds by providing basic information at www.giftofhope.org/espanol. This is the objective of National Donor Sabbath, to celebrate donation from the religious point of view,” added Mendoza.