The Hamilton County Clerk's office with the Donate Life Flag
Hamilton County Clerk Bill Knowles announced his office will raise the Donate Life Flag during the month of April. Blue and green flags will be flying outside courthouses and county office buildings around Tennessee in recognition of National Donate Life Month.
This is an effort by county clerks to bring attention to the importance of organ and tissue donation. They are using this month to celebrate the renewed lives of organ recipients and honor all those who have made the decision to donate life.
“We are excited to fly the Donate Life Flag through the month of April,” said Bill Knowles, Hamilton County clerk. “We are grateful that Tennesseans are responding to the need for donors by signing up on the Tennessee Donor Registry."
Tennessee County Clerks play a role in promoting the gift of life message by offering residents the opportunity to donate a dollar when they renew their car tags every year. Those dollars are used for the creation and distribution of educational materials for the public and school-based programs.
Mr. Knowles was one of the founders of the “Donate A Dollar” program. Over the years Hamilton County consistently ranks in the top three counties of monies raised.
“We are pleased to be a part of saving lives through this program," said Mr. Knowles. "I want to thank the citizens of Hamilton County for their continued generosity and support of organ and tissue donation."
National Donate Life Month also focuses attention on the fact that the shortage of organs for transplantation remains a national public health crisis. More than 114,000 men, women and children are currently awaiting transplants; 2,942 of those are Tennesseans.
The Tennessee County Clerks Organ Donor Awareness Foundation was launched in 1996 to support organ donation education in Tennessee. The foundation works in cooperation with non-profits Tennessee Donor Services and Mid-South Transplant Foundation to educate Tennesseans on the importance of registering to be an organ and tissue donor. Since its inception, the foundation has raised over $4 million.
The flags flying