As part of our campaign launch in January, Donate Life Illinois is looking for college students throughout Illinois to start a Students for Organ Donation (S.O.D.) chapter on their campus. Students for Organ Donation is a national, student-run organization dedicated to promoting organ donation awareness and registration.
So yeah, you support the cause or else you wouldn’t be reading this, but why should you start a S.O.D. chapter on your campus?
Running or participating in a S.O.D. chapter is an excellent way to gain leadership experience, make an impact on a critical public health issue and most importantly, help save lives! Plus, it looks great to future employers when you can demonstrate your initiative and dedication outside of the classroom…other than applying those skills to chugging 5 beers in 30 seconds.
Currently, there are three S.O.D. chapters in Illinois: Northwestern, Loyola and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As you can see, the potential is endless to mobilize the numerous students on YOUR campus who feel passionately about the issue but don’t know how to get involved.
After starting a chapter, your S.O.D. will work alongside Donate Life Illinois on efforts to increase awareness of organ donation and drive organ donor registrations in your campus community. We will help brainstorm, provide materials and work right alongside you all to get the chapter up and running as well as help register and re-register students, staff and others in the new donor registry. Not only will you be making a difference in support of a life-saving cause, but you’ll be having some fun too!
For answers to questions or for more information on starting a S.O.D. chapter, please visit the national website www.studentdonor.org. You can also contact me directly at smeis@grisko.com.
-Scott
