Donate Life Mississippi makes local awards – The Oxford Eagle

Donate Life Mississippi annually recognizes Mississippi Department of Public Safety examiners and stations for their exceptional efforts in saving and healing lives through organ, eye, and tissue donor registration. 

In 2024,105 DPS examiners received the title of “Donate Life Champions” for achieving registration rates of 30% or higher during a specified period. Additionally, Donate Life Mississippi presented “Red Heart Awards” to top-performing DPS stations by region: Oxford (Northern Region), Starkville (Central Region), and Kiln (Southern Region).

The presentation was made at the Oxford office on Dec. 5, at the facility on Buddy East Parkway.

Zola Burgess, Community Outreach Coordinator for Mid-South Transplant Foundation presented the Red Heart Award to Marie Kitchens, District Manager. Of special note – one of their Examiners, Christy Bugsby has a personal connection to donation as her dad was a donor hero.

“The Driver Service Bureau is honored to partner with Donate Life Mississippi in their mission to save and improve lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation,” says Treasure Tyson, Director of the Driver Service Bureau. “Through this partnership, we aim to encourage more Mississippians to say ‘yes’ to donation when they visit our driver’s license offices or our website.”

The Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA) acknowledges the vital role of the DPS in donor registration. “Over 98 percent of Mississippians who register as organ, eye, and tissue donors do so while obtaining or renewing their Mississippi Driver’s License,” says Kevin Stump, MORA President and CEO. “We commend the DPS leadership and staff for their dedicated efforts to grow the donor registry, bringing hope to those awaiting life-saving transplants.”

Mid-South Transplant Foundation (MSTF) congratulates the Donate Life Champions, with Executive Director Kim Van Frank adding, “We celebrate their achievements and extend our gratitude to the DPS staff. Their dedication to donation helps save lives, restore sight, heal burns, and enhance the lives of countless Mississippians.”

Donate Life Mississippi is a partnership among the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA), Mid-South Transplant Foundation (MSTF), Mississippi Lions Eye Bank (MLEB), Mississippi Hospital Association, and Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

A new patient is added to the national transplant waiting list every 8 minutes and an average of 16 people die each day awaiting a life-saving transplant that never comes. In Mississippi, there are more than 1,300 people waiting on a transplant. One organ donor can save eight lives, and one tissue donor can save or heal the lives of 75 recipients or more.

To register your decision to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor visit registerme.org.