2 million people now on Wisconsin's organ, tissue donor registry

MADISON (WITI) -- Just three years after its inception, Wisconsin’s online organ and tissue donor registry has reached the 2 million member mark.

The milestone is being recognized this October by Donate Life Wisconsin (DLW) and its affiliate organizations as an example of the generosity of the Wisconsin people and an opportunity to intensify efforts toward educating the public about the importance of registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor.

As a result, DLW member organizations are launching a statewide campaign, called Orangetober. The campaign aims to double the number of new members typically added to the registry in October from 50,000 to 100,000, and to make sure that every county in Wisconsin has at least 50 percent of its residents registered as donors.

Anyone interested in joining the campaign can download Orangetober event materials at DonateLifeWisconsin.com.

There are currently more than 2,200 people in Wisconsin (119,000 people nationally) waiting for an organ transplant and thousands more whose quality of life could be vastly improved through tissue and eye donations.