What is Celebrations of Life? Launched this year during National Donor Sabbath (November 10-12, 2006), the Donor Network calls upon houses of worship of all faiths to celebrate the lives of transplant recipients saved, as well as to celebrate and honor the lives of all organ and tissue donors.

"Celebrations of Life" is an annual program of the New York Organ Donor Network that coincides with the holiday season during November and December.

Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the Donor Network, said: “This is the season of goodwill for all of New York’s diverse population. The holiday season, which extends from National Donor Sabbath and Thanksgiving into the New Year, is the perfect time for people to give thanks for what they have, for their health, and for love of family. We hope that the Celebrations of Life theme will enable religious leaders and congregants to acknowledge those special people and their families who gave the gift of life. It is also a time to share the joy of those who, because of the generosity of strangers, are able to celebrate a second chance at life.”

By rolling out Celebrations of Life and emphasizing the need for more donors, the Donor Network hopes to convey a message of hope to those awaiting a transplant. Of the more than 93,000 people on the organ waiting list in the United States, approximately 7,000 of them are in the greater New York metro area.

Thousands more need tissues such as corneas, skin and bone.

Ms. Berg said that she hopes Celebrations of Life will bring public awareness about organ and tissue donation with a call to action by creating opportunities for donor registry enrollments. “Houses of worship can celebrate the holidays and the miracle of donation and transplantation by receiving materials from the New York Organ Donor Network to distribute among their congregants. We offer ideas for discussions and sermons. And we also can assist houses of worship by offering volunteer speakers – recipients and donor families – who can address congregants about their experiences.”

Ms. Berg added: “By telling the human stories of donors, recipients and their families, we can provide a portrait of these extraordinary lives and emphasize that more people need to be willing to share the gift of life. We appeal to New Yorkers to become donors by enrolling in the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry on our Web site, and by telling their families about their decision. If there is one message donors and recipients have for all New Yorkers, it is: 'Celebrate your life by being an organ and tissue donor.’ “