September is National DMV Appreciation Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the critical role that Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs) across the nation play in restoring sight, saving and healing lives through eye, organ and tissue donation. Each year, Donate Life America (DLA) and its Donate Life State Teams, alongside partner organizations like The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, honor the achievements of DMVs in promoting and facilitating the donation process.
This year, The Eye-Bank participated in a number of events to celebrate DMV staff. On September 12th, The Eye-Bank joined New York State DMV Commissioner Mark J. F. Schroeder and Donate Life New York State Executive Director Aisha Tator to honor the hard work of two local DMV offices in promoting eye, organ and tissue donation. The “Rising Star Award” was presented to Springfield Garden DMV in Queens for the greatest one-year increase donor registration at a downstate DMV in a year. The “Super Star Award” was given to License Express DMV at Penn Plaza in Midtown Manhattan for enrolling the greatest percentage of registered donors among downstate DMV offices during Donate Life Month April 2024. Notably, over 80% of New Yorkers who enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry do so when conducting transactions at the DMV.
On September 16th, 2024, Eye-Bank Communications Manager Maria Chelko, who serves as vice chair on Donate Life America’s DMV Committee, was a guest on the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ AAMVACAST. She spoke about the important role DMVs play by facilitating eye, organ and tissue donor registration. And she emphasized the importance of ensuring DMV staff feel connected with the meaning and impact of donation. She also provided clarification on how eye and tissue donation differ from organ donation.
The Eye-Bank maintains a collaborative relationship with downstate DMV offices all the year. Through New York State’s DMV Ambassador Program in partnership with Donate Life New York State, Eye-Bank staff provide DMV front-line staff with continued education about the benefits of eye donation and donor registration. We are grateful for the support and collaboration of DMV office staff and administrators as we all work together to restore sight in our fellow New Yorkers.