Placer County proclaims April as Donate Life Month to raise awareness for organ donation

Published April 13, 2023

Placer County file photo, 2022

The Placer County Board of Supervisors took action last week to proclaim April as Donate Life Month for the second year in a row, highlighting the county's ongoing support and commitment to raising awareness for organ donation.

To celebrate the gift of life-saving organ donations, the colonnade of Placer County's historic courthouse in Auburn will once again be lit in the Donate Life colors of blue and green.

“One organ donor hero can save the lives of eight people through donations of organs and improve the lives of up to 75 people with eye and tissue donation,” Placer County Board of Supervisors Chair and District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes read. “More than 107,000 patients continue to wait for life-saving organ transplants on the national wait list, including 1,500 in our service area.”

Auburn resident and two-time organ recipient, Valen Keefer, also a patient advocate, accepted the proclamation. Keefer knows firsthand the life-changing impact of organ donation. This August, which Keefer calls her miracle month, marks the fifth year of her life-saving liver transplant, and the 21st year since she received a kidney transplant.

While reflecting on what it means to have the community’s support she said, “I'm super grateful for the support here in Auburn being able to light the courthouse and do the proclamations. There's something special about home. It's just really special to be able to have the platforms here locally.”

To raise further awareness of the cause, Keefer invites the community to view her latest docuseries titled, “Letters of Hope,” sharing the trials and triumphs of transplantation. The screening will take place at the Auburn State Theatre at 2 p.m. on Aug. 6. A panel discussion and Q&A featuring community members who were personally impacted by organ donation will follow the viewing.

Community members are also encouraged to celebrate Blue and Green Day on April 14.

“Blue and Green Day is to honor our donor heroes for their selfless gifts and also to encourage others to consider saving lives by registering to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor,” said Sean Van Slyck, executive director at Sierra Donor Services, the organ procurement organization serving Placer County.

Learn more about the need for organ donation or register as a donor: https://donatelifecalifornia.org/

See the historic courthouse lit up in Donate Life’s blue and green: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRfUMqD-3pU&feature=youtu.be
 YouTube Video