Southern Miss Wins 2014 Organ Donor Challenge

The University of Southern Mississippi has won the 2014 Donor Challenge, an organ and tissue donation awareness campaign, facilitated by the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA).  This is the second victory for Southern Miss in three years, with the College of Health Ambassadors leading the registration drive and awareness campaign on the Hattiesburg campus.

“The College of Health Ambassadors are committed to spreading the word about the need for organ and tissue donation,” said Rebecca Ehret from the College of Health Ambassadors and member of the MORA Campaign Committee. “Thanks to the MORA campaign, we were able to get the students and faculty of The University of Southern Mississippi the information they needed to make an informed decision in becoming organ and tissue donors.”

From Sept. 15 through Oct. 17, Southern Miss competed against the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University to see which university could register the most organ and tissue donors. Scoring combined new registrants and a point system for registrants from the 2012 and 2013 challenges. Southern Miss came in first with 390 points (278 new donors and 448 existing designations), Ole Miss finished second with 200.5 points (106 new donors, 378 existing designations) and Mississippi State finished third with 177.75 points (114 new donors, 255 existing designations).

“We are thrilled and humbled by the incredible effort put forth by The University of Southern Mississippi,” said Charlotte Mullinnix, director of MORA Outreach Services. “From the start, USM's College of Health Ambassadors told us they would take back the Donor Challenge title by defeating both Ole Miss and Mississippi State. They pulled together a truly amazing effort- motivating students, staff, alumni, and gathering support in the Hattiesburg business community."

The College of Health Ambassadors will receive a $500 donation from MORA after attaining all Donor Challenge performance standards that included a volunteer training session, a minimum of four registration events and a minimum of 150 new donor designations.

Some Organ Donation Facts:

• More than 1,400 Mississippians are part of the 123,000 – plus Americans in need of a lifesaving organ transplant. 
• An average of 18 Americans die each day awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant.
• A new person is added to a national transplant list every 10 minutes.
• One organ donor can save eight lives.
• One tissue donor can enhance the lives of more than 50 people.

To register as an organ donor visit: www.donatelifems.org or www.msora.org. For more about the College of Health, visit www.usm.edu/CoH