As a requirement of their class, nursing seniors enrolled in the Nursing Lab 488 class split into groups of eight to form community instruction groups. The groups promoted and educated passers by on health issues such as dehydration, boating safety, preventing children from smoking and designer drugs.

One group in particular, which had set up a booth in the Student Union Mall on April 6, promoted the importance of organ donations.

“We decided that organ donations are something that is important and can save many lives,” said nursing senior Brooke Leblanc. “Also, many of us here have had family members that have received or need organ donations, so we know how important donations are.”

According to Leblanc, her group found that the majority of students that they approached were not organ donors, and a few didn’t even know if they were donors. The nursing students asked to see drivers’ licenses, which identify organ donors by the small red heart on the bottom of the card. For those students who were not registered as donors, the group offered registration through the Donate Life foundation.

The group’s instructor, Joyce Maynor, was proud of her students’ initiative as well as their success.

“I’m elated at what they are doing,” said Maynor. “They’ve worked very hard to get all of this ready, and they deserve a lot of credit. Their goal was to have 25 people sign up to become donors, and now I think there almost at 75.”

By the end of their time in the union, the group had received applications from 82 students.

“One person can save nine lives with organs,” said Kate Domingue, also a nursing senior. “One person can offer 50 tissue transplants and two eyes for cornea transplants.”

Accompanying the seniors in their cause were two representatives from the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA), Lori Steele and Donny Troxaclair.

“I’m a community educator with LOPA, and we do promotions like this all the time,” said Steele. “This is by far one of our more successful ones, when it comes to campuses.”

Troxaclair accompanied Steele as an organ recipient.

“I needed a new kidney and pancreas, but I supported organ donation before my surgery,” said Troxaclair. “I do this with LOPA to share my story, and I wanted to spread why organ donations are important.”

More information about LOPA and their programs can be found at www.lopa.org