National Minority Donor Awareness Month, celebrated nationally the entire month of August, is dedicated to save and improve the quality of life of multicultural communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye, and tissue donation.

The observance highlights the need within multicultural communities, provides organ and tissue donation education, encourages donor registration and promotes healthy living and disease prevention to decrease the need for transplantation, while honoring those multicultural donors who said Yes to donation and gave the gift of light.

Here in our community there are nearly people waiting for a lifesaving transplant, of those waiting, 50% are from multicultural communities.

While organs are not matched according to race or ethnicity, transplant matches made within ethnic groups can be more compatible. That is one of the many reasons it is so important for people in multicultural communities to sign up to become organ, eye and tissue donors.

Read our latest Donation Essentials article to learn more about Multicultural Communities in Donation and Transplantation—coming soon!