Resolution 090304

..Title Honoring and commending Gift of Life on the occasion of its 35th Anniversary. ..Body WHEREAS, Gift of Life celebrates its 35th Anniversary in 2009, having achieved a rich history of saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation; and WHEREAS, During Gift of Life's tenure, 28,000 lives have been saved, and more than 250,000 lives have been enhanced through the organ and tissue donations coordinated by Gift of Life, which were made possible by the overwhelmingly generous spirit of organ donors and their loved ones in Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, Organ transplantation has become a common, but crucial treatment that has the power to save lives, dependent upon the altruism and generosity of members of the community who understand that they have the power to do something extraordinary and become organ and tissue donors; and WHEREAS, Gift of Life has been lauded both nationally and internationally as a training center to fellow organ donation programs around the world, collaborating with its peers to ensure the best practices engendered and proven here in cooperation with the Gift of Life Institute become the standard of organ procurement organizations everywhere; and WHEREAS, National Donate Life Month, recognized each April, calls attention to the vast number of people waiting for a life-saving transplant - more than 6,000 people in the greater Philadelphia region, alongside the more than 101,000 waiting in the U.S. Each day, 18 people die waiting for their second chance at life, reinforcing the urgency of recruiting additional donors; and WHEREAS, Gift of Life urges all residents of Philadelphia to consider the importance and value of organ and tissue donation and urges the members of the community to add the donor designation, either when renewing one's driver's license or by registering online; and WHEREAS, Gift of Life's newest initiative, the Gift of Life Family House, will complete the circle of care that the organization provides to those being touched by donation and transplantation. The facility will provide temporary housing to families traveling great distances to receive care at any of Philadelphia's renowned transplant centers; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it honors and commends Gift of Life on the occasion of its 35th Anniversary. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Gift of Life as further evidence of the sincere admiration and appreciation of this legislative body. ..End