National DMV Appreciation Month

From doctors and nurses to emergency responders and workers, saving lives through organ donation is an amazing feat of modern medicine! But long prior to the medical event, there are many other people involved to make it happen – starting with those who file the paperwork to sign people up as donors. 

Today, more than 140 million Americans are registered organ donors. And since more than 90% of people who sign up to become organ donors come through their state department of motor vehicles (DMV), it seems appropriate that there would be a special time to say thank you to these government agencies and their employees. 

National DMV Appreciation Month is here to call attention to the extra mile that these workers go to every day to make sure individuals are informed, aware and have the appropriate paperwork to become organ donors in a quick and easy manner!

History of National DMV Appreciation Month

The first official national registry and donation network in the United States started in the 1980s, but many states had started partnering organ donation with their DMVs even earlier. Today, all fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, cooperates with Donate Life America to make organ donation registry possible. 

This event was founded by the nonprofit organization, Donate Life America, with the purpose of thanking the DMV and their workers for their commitment to saving lives through organ donation.

How to Celebrate National DMV Appreciation Month

Check out some of these interesting ways to participate in National DMV Appreciation Month:

Thank a DMV Worker

Have a friend or family member who works at the DMV? Give them an extra special thank-you sometime during this month. Take them out to lunch, write them a card or just give them a big hug! Those who don’t know someone personally who works at the DMV still don’t have to miss out. National DMV Appreciation Month is a good time to post a positive message on the local DMV’s social media account or share a donation story online and tag the driver’s license office in it.

Sign Up as an Organ Donor

Each year, tens of thousands of Americans receive transplant surgeries that save their lives, thanks to a number of different people who rally together to make organ donation possible. But sadly, many people also with their names on a donation list because there simply are not enough donors.

An excellent way to honor National DMV Appreciation Month is to take a look at your own driver’s license to find out if it indicates organ donation. In addition to registering through the DMV, it is important to share wishes about organ donation with close relatives so they know and understand your wishes should something happen.

Consider celebrating some other events throughout the year related to the topic of organ donation, including National Organ Donor Day in February, National Blood Donor Month in January, and Team Margot Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Awareness Day in October.