Raising Donor Awareness in South Carolina

New Volunteers Promote Donation at Spring Events

In addition to the "Gift of Life" 5K Run/Walk, Donate Life Month activities included health fairs and donor awareness events across South Carolina during April. Many of LifePoint's new volunteers participated in one or more of these events.

For the third consecutive year, WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, S.C. placed organ and tissue donation in its Caring for the Carolinas spotlight for the month of April. Throughout the month, advertisements highlighted the need for more organ and tissue donors. WSPA is the Upstate's most watched television station which reaches an average of 720,000 households each week in North and South Carolina. WSPA also broadcast live on four separate days from LifePoint "Donor Drives" in Anderson, Greenville, and Spartanburg. These broadcasts included short interviews with LifePoint's CEO/President Nancy A. Kay and Media Relations Coordinator Mark Johnson along with several volunteers during its noon, 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts.

Other donor drives, health fairs, speaking engagements and media events were held in Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Hilton Head, North Charleston and Spartanburg.

The momentum continued during May as LifePoint joined with MUSC for an awareness event and book signing on May 1. Living donor and author Teri Godwin who donated a kidney to her sister hosted the event at the North Myrtle Beach library. Godwin's book is entitled Natasha's Joy.

Later in the month volunteers participated in a phone bank opportunity at WBTW-TV in Myrtle Beach by fielding questions about organ and tissue donation. WBTW, the number one television station in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand, aired a story about the need for more organ and tissue donors during its evening newscasts. The station reaches an average of over 270,000 households. Viewers were encouraged to call into the phone bank with their questions about organ and tissue donation.

Additional health fairs, awareness events, and media coverage continued in Anderson, Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Florence, Greenville, Greenwood, North Charleston and Spartanburg.