ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A group of young people in Albany are dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. The Girl Scouts of Albany partnered with Phoebe Putney Health System and LifeLink of Georgia to learn about organ donation while participating in fun activities.

The Give Life, Grow Hope event allowed the Girl Scouts to participate in several activities. They created cards for patients awaiting transplants, learned about how organs work and busted myths about organ donation.

“One of the important things about today’s event is raising awareness,” said a LifeLink event organizer, Courtney Proctor. “Over 3,000 people in the state of Georgia are currently waiting for an organ transplant. Over 60% of those people are African American, so we just want to raise awareness and start legacies.”

Kanijah Holliday, a member of the Girl Scouts of Albany, said she is so excited that the girls in her troop will become our future leaders.

The scouts learned about more than just organ donation. Doctors from Phoebe Putney taught the girls how to pack wounds, stop the bleeding and other life-saving techniques that you are never too young to learn.

Proctor added, “The younger they can learn things now, the more changes they can make in our future.”

There is speculation that organ donors do not get the same level of care as non-donors in life-threatening situations, but doctors say the patient must be brain-dead before they even consider the possibility of organ retrieval. One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and one tissue donor can benefit 75 people.

“It’s incredible,” said Phoebe Trauma Medical Director Dr. Leon Dent. “It provides an opportunity to have a life. And for that parent, and for their child to receive the organ, it’s amazing.”

Today, each Girl Scout that completed at least three life-saving stations took home a new patch for their vest as well as a better understanding of the human body and organ donation.

To become an organ donor, visit mystorycontinues.com to register.

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