St. Lawrence County Clerk Mary Lou Rupp is encouraging drivers to sign up as organ donors at local Department of Motor Vehicle offices.

The St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office and Department of Motor Vehicles offices are teaming up with the New York Alliance for Donation to increase enrollment in the New York State Donate Life Registry

Donate Life Month is a national month-long observance aimed at raising public awareness of the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donation, as more than 10,000 New Yorkers currently wait for transplants.

During the entire month of April, St. Lawrence County Clerk and DMV offices will be encouraging St. Lawrence County residents to learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and the impact it has on thousands of New Yorkers.

The offices will have information and registration forms available for those considering the selfless act of organ donation. We would like to urge residents of St. Lawrence County to help make a difference in saving lives by registering to become organ donors.

According to Rupp, there is an urgent need for help.

“It would be horrible to lose a family member because an organ did not become available in time to save their life,” she said.

New York State has the third highest need for donors in the country, yet the second lowest percentage of registered donors. Each year, approximately 500 men, women and children in the state die because of the shortage of donors.

The number of eligible New Yorkers enrolled in the Donate Life Registry is 25.96 percent while the nationwide average for enrollment is approximately 50 percent.

People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. You are not “too old” or “too ill” to register as an organ donor - the medical condition of the donor at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated. More than one third of all deceased donors are age 50 or older and nearly 8 percent are age 65 or older.

Becoming an organ donor is simple by joining New York State’s donor registry through DMV and indicating your decision on your driver’s license.

This can be done at your local DMV office by signing the organ donor consent certification which can be found on the forms used to apply for or renew a driver license or non-driver identification card. When you enroll through this method, a symbol of a red heart and the words "Organ Donor" will be printed on the front of your driver license or non-driver identification card at no extra cost.

Enroll in the Donate Life Registry at www.donatelifenewyork.com or with the voter registration form at Board of Elections.

Enrollment forms are available at the 4 DMV offices and at the County Clerk’s Office.

The Donate Life Flag will be raised at the Human Services Building where the Canton DMV is located, during the month of April to raise awareness to the need for organ donation and to encourage residents of St. Lawrence County to enroll as organ and tissue donors at our local DMV offices.