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Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and LifeCenter Organ Donor Network Sign Letter of Intent to Merge, Creating the 16th Largest Organ Procurement Organization in the United States. The combined organization represents growth and innovation at a crucial juncture when the support provided by both organizations is increasingly vital. This exciting announcement comes after an incredible year of 421 organ donors and 1,083 organs transplanted. That means over 1,000 lives were saved within KODA and LifeCenter’s combined service area. With KODA and . . .

Groundbreaking perfusion pump proves kidneys can be flown commercially, tracked by GPS, and kept viable longer to reach more transplant patients LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 31, 2023) – Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) announces the successful transportation of the first-ever donor kidney flown on a functioning perfusion pump unattended by a medical team. Using new technology, the deceased donor’s kidney flew commercially from Louisville on July 13, 2023 to save the life of a patient at the University of Mississippi Medical . . .

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 10, 2023) – Donate Life Kentucky will offer free school supplies and giveaways to children and families, along with a free movie night at Price Elementary School on Saturday, July 22, at 6:30 p.m. The event, now in its second year, aims to provide children in our community with important educational materials in a safe and fun environment before the start of the school year. Prior to the showing of Disney’s ‘Soul,’ kids will receive free school . . .

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June. 27, 2023) – The Donate Life Kentucky leadership, which encompasses two non-profit organizations, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) and Trust For Life (Trust), are proud to announce they have joined the Living Donor Circle of Excellence. This program is an initiative from the American Society of Transplantation (AST) with support from strategic partner the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). It celebrates employers who implement internal policies that provide salary support to their employees who choose to be living . . .

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 20, 2023) – Donate Life Kentucky has gone to the dogs … and cats, birds, and horses. For every treat, every behind-the-ear scratch, and every game of fetch pets get from their humans – their love continues to grow; however, what happens when their human becomes ill and needs an organ transplant to keep the family together? To help, pets across Kentucky have traded chasing their tails for a call to action by teaming up with Donate Life . . .

Drive to take place on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 and will support the urgent-to-critical need for blood donors LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 9, 2023) – Donate Life KY, in partnership with the Kentucky Blood Center (KBC), is inviting donors from across the state to give blood on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14, which is also National Donor Day. The drive will help support the urgent-to-critical need for blood across the state and will also help support the health and recovery . . .

Organization celebrates more lives saved through organ donation than any other year LOUISVILLE, Ky., (Jan. 10, 2023) – For the fifth consecutive year, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) has once again broken its record of saving lives. In 2022, 239 organ donors and 539 tissue donors resulted in nearly 600 lives saved across the Commonwealth – a 23% increase in organ donation compared to 2021 and the most lives saved in any year. “Registering as an organ donor is a . . .

Senate Bill 30 Goes Into Effect; Expands Organ Donor Registry and Education SB 30 creates new ways to register to become an organ donor LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 3, 2022) – Senate Bill 30 goes into effect today, allowing the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to add organ donation questions to the screen when individuals renew their car tags online. This will impact more than 30,000 people per month on average. “On any given day, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for a . . .

Media Contact:Mary Jane Rodes859.494.4484  Washington, DC (September 12, 2022) Recipients of the Kidney Transplant Collaborative (KTC)’s 2022 grant program are already making important progress to help increase kidney transplants and reduce barriers among patients and donors nationwide. Earlier this year, the KTC announced the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) as one of its inaugural grant recipients. KODA is using the funds to explore and test new technologies that would make it possible for kidneys to be transported on pulsatile perfusion pumps via aircrafts, with . . .

Innovative Kentucky leader recognized for commitment to organ and tissue donation LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 22, 2022) – Donate Life KY today announced Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official Matt Cole has been nationally recognized for his efforts to raise awareness and save lives through organ donation. Cole was awarded the Donate Life America (DLA) Lifesaver Award for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) – Region II. He also earned the National Lifesaver Award at the AAMVA Annual International Conference (AIC). . . .

Free virtual program designed for 4th grade elementary school students in KY and WV LOUISVILLE, Ky. (February 7, 2022) — Donate Life KY is revolutionizing elementary education by bringing its in-person program, Life is Cool, to an online platform for fourth-grade students in Kentucky and West Virginia. The Life is Cool program meets state-approved curriculum standards for topics such as organs, tissues, blood, corneas, and the importance of making healthy choices. The program aims to educate students on the importance of organ . . .

Exhibit to feature portraits of Black organ donor families, recipients and physicians LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2022) – During Black History Month, Donate Life KY will host an art exhibit at Louisville’s KULA Gallery called “Faces of Donation,” which will feature portraits of local Black organ donors, donor families, recipients and physicians, illustrated by Louisville artist Charles Rice, creator of “ArtbyRice.” Each portrait will represent someone locally who has been impacted by organ donation. “In 2021, we encountered record-breaking numbers of . . .

Nonprofit organization reports 75% increase in local donors since 2017 LOUISVILLE, Ky., (Jan. 13, 2022) – Despite a global pandemic, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) have again broken their record of saving and enhancing lives with more than 1,000 heroic organ, tissue, and cornea donors in 2021. The nonprofit organ procurement organization supported the decisions of more donor families than ever before — 189 organ donors and 484 tissue donors resulted in 536 organ transplants and more than 500 lives . . .

Each April, KY Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust For Life and Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates partner with Donate Life America (DLA) on National Donate Life Month (NDLM), an observance to focus national attention on the need and importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. NDLM is about the importance of registering your decision to be a donor, honoring deceased and living donors-recognizing the generosity of donors that makes saving lives through transplantation possible. “Organ and tissue donation saves and heals lives . . .

Despite the pandemic, our staff saved more lives than ever and worked with more donor families than ever before in 2020. Many people don’t realize that we have a staff of over 120 around the state and Western WV that literally work 24/7/365 through rain, sleet, snow, blood, sweat, tears and a pandemic. They sit with and support families during the hardest moments of their lives, hop on planes, make tons of phone calls, review thousands of records and so . . .

Donate Life Month, #Derby Season, and #SPRING have finally arrived and we know how excited you are to enjoy warmer temperatures and spend time outside!For Donate Life Month, we challenge you to decorate your outdoor space in blue and green to celebrate LIFE for the month of April.To be a part of our Porch decorating contest follow these simple steps below: 1) Decorate your porch, yard, door step, etc. in blue and green/garden themed (try to include RegisterMe.org somewhere!) 2) . . .

(LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 19, 2021) – Despite a global pandemic, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates has once again broken their record of saving and enhancing lives facilitating over 1,000 heroic organ, tissue, and cornea donors in 2020.  The nonprofit organ procurement organization and their hardworking staff supported more donor families’ decisions than ever before — 178 deceased organ donors resulted in 535 organs being transplanted, which translates to over 500 lives saved, and 575 tissue donors generously healed thousands of lives with their gifts.  This . . .

Become a life-saving organ donor by going to registerme.org

This year has emphasized the importance of families planning for the future, as unexpected as it may be. On Thursday, December 10, 2020, the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and the Kentucky Circuit Clerks’ Trust For Life are hosting a virtual event, ’10 on 10,’ in efforts to grow the Kentucky Organ Donor Registry. Individuals are challenged to register 10 people as organ donors by sharing their customized digital registry campaign page on social media. Most importantly, ’10 on 10’ is . . .

Since January 2020, the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) has saved and healed the lives of nearly 19,200 individuals through the gift of life. KODA, the federally designated organ procurement organization serves the majority of Kentucky, Southern Indiana, and Huntington, WV.  KODA has continued to recover and allocate organs and tissue for transplantation to those in need amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  As of August 20, 2020, KODA has honored the wishes of 112 organ donors, resulting in the recovery and transplantation . . .