Niagara County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzemski today said the county’s three Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices in Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda are once again decorated to celebrate April as “Donate Life Month.”   Throughout the month, those who have saved lives through the gift of a donation are honored and others are encouraged to consider registering as organ, eye and tissue donors.

Niagara County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzemski today said the county’s three Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices in Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda are once again decorated to celebrate April as “Donate Life Month.”   Throughout the month, those who have saved lives through the gift of a donation are honored and others are encouraged to consider registering as organ, eye and tissue donors. “I am so proud that, in the just over a decade, the percentage of organ donors in Niagara County has grown from around 29 percent in 2015 to nearly 73 percent today,” said Jastrzemski, who noted the statewide average is 53 percent.  “The theme of Donate Life Month this year is ‘Leave a Legacy’ and thousands of Niagara County residents are signed up to do just that.” Jastrzemski said there are more than 8000 New York resident on the organ transplant waitlist and every 10 minutes another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.   One organ, eye and tissue donor can save eight lives and heal 75 more through eye and tissue donation. Residents can sign up to be organ donors by visiting the state registry at https://donatelife.ny.gov/  or at any of the county DMV offices.  “I want to acknowledge our great DMV employees who go all out celebrating and promoting Donate Life Month each April,” said Jastrzemski.  “The fact is 85 percent of all those who have signed up to be donors did through a DMV, so I give a ton of credit for Niagara County’s success to them.”Pictured, the Niagara Falls DMV office decorated for Donate Life Month.  From left to right: Kristy Bongiovanni, Patricia Sweatman, Donna Mack, Marie Hutchins, Ashlee Pappas, Diane Magliazzo and Matthew Parish.