National DMV Appreciation Month: Celebrating Partners Making a Difference

September was National DMV Appreciation Month. Earlier this year, many driver license offices across the country were closed for COVID-19 safety reasons. To allow more time to recognize and support our DMV partners, Donate life America extended National DMV Appreciation Week to the entire month of September. We spent the month celebrating our Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Driver License Office partners in Colorado and Driver Services partners in Wyoming. Their commitment to supporting our mission to save lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation is vital in building the incredible amount of support we see in our region.

The Impact

The number of organ transplants in the U.S. has increased every year for seven years. This is a remarkable, lifesaving achievement. So much so that this month, Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter thanking DMV employees for their critical role in registering the American public to be organ donors.

Additionally, in 2019, Colorado once again earned the top spot in the nation for highest Donor Designation Rate (DDR). Wyoming also jumped to 3^rd in the nation. These achievements simply wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the hard work, dedication and strong partnership between Donor Alliance and the team members at the DMV and Driver Services.

How We Celebrated (and YOU can too!)

We showed appreciation for Driver License partners by thanking the hard-working staff and leadership through local events and outreach. Here are some photos from our visits:

We participated in a special podcast with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) to discuss driver licensing partners, Donate Life America and organ, eye and tissue donation. Check out the AAMVAcast here.

We’re also very excited to have been a part of several award presentations celebrating the work of the remarkable DMV and Driver Services team members throughout the month.

Renee Krawiec, Deputy Program Manager, Wyoming Department of Transportation & Driver Services, was selected as the Donate Life America DMV Innovation Award winner both nationally and for AAMVA Region 4.

Renee championed the implementation of online education training on organ, eye and tissue donation for all Driver Services staff. Collaborating with Driver Services, Donor Alliance developed the new digital training module and achieved a 100% completion rate – showing the commitment of Wyoming Driver Services to understanding the facts of donation and transplantation and saving lives.

La Junta driver license manager, Christina Salas was awarded the Donate Life America Lifesaver Award for AAMVA Region IV.

Christina was presented the award in recognition of the positive changes she affected in her community. She went beyond her duties in helping raise awareness for donation and transplantation after the tragic death of a local teenager she had advised at the La Junta Driver License Office.

It’s Not Too Late to Show Your Appreciation, Too!

• Reach out to your local Driver License office and thank them! To find the location nearest you, click here for Colorado and here for Wyoming.
• Post a positive comment on their social media pages: Facebook- @ColoradoRevenue @WyomingDeptofTransportation (please mention Driver Services); twitter- @CO_Revenue
• Write a letter expressing your appreciation for all that they do! Share your connection to donation & transplantation with the staff. To find the address for the location nearest you, click here for Colorado and here for Wyoming.

Say Yes to organ, eye and tissue donation every time you renew or obtain your driver license or state ID. You can also sign up online anytime at DonateLifeColorado.org or DonateLifeWyoming.org.