Organ donation appeal approved for outdoor Puslinch electronic sign

Puslinch councillors have lent their support to a campaign to make the public more aware of organ donation.

On April 1, Mayor Dennis Lever noted council received a request asking the township to waive fees for posting a message on the township’s electronic sign at the Puslinch community centre in Aberfoyle.

Janet Parr wrote to council on behalf of the Life Donation Awareness Association (LDAA), asking to have a message displayed on the outdoor sign “to encourage people to consider organ and tissue donation during the month of April, BeADonor Month in Ontario.”

Parr stated the LDAA of Midwest Ontario is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization that aims to build awareness within communities about the need for, and how to become, organ and tissue donors.

She added LDAA members include people waiting for organs and tissue, donor family members, the general public and recipients such as herself.

“Thanks to the courage and compassion of a family I will never know, I received a life-saving heart transplant just over two years ago,” Parr said.

The organization has planned a number of activities in April, including arranging signs along Highway 6 in Guelph and Fergus, as well as in Elora.

For the Aberfoyle sign, she proposed two options for council to consider:

“Donors Save Lives!

www.beadonor.ca”

or

“Organ Donors

Save Lives

Register to donate

www.beadonor.ca.”

“Ideally, we would like the message displayed throughout the month of April, but any time given would be very much appreciated,” Parr wrote.

Lever noted Puslinch’s 2012 volunteer of the year Claire Alexander has been heavily involved with the LDAA for a number of years.

Councillor Susan Fielding agreed there needs to be more organ donation awareness.

Councillor Wayne Stokley also supported waiving the fees, saying, “It is important not only for our own community – but throughout the country.”

He suggested council approve the four-line message and councillors Ken Roth and Matthew Bulmer agreed.

Council agreed to have the message on the sign for the remainder of the month and to waive the fee.

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