Community
partners
Our community partners are essential to the work we do—educating the public, registering new donors, and caring for donor heroes and their families.
Their expertise, expediency, and cooperation pave the way for others to receive the gift of life.
Hospitals
Tennessee Donor Services partners with more than 150 hospitals in Tennessee and southwest Virginia. A hospital’s primary goal is to treat and save patients’ lives. It is only when all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted or death has been declared that the hospital notifies TDS. Collaboration with hospital partners ensures every donor hero’s wish is carried out and their families are supported through grief.
Tennessee Department of Safety
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Driver Services Centers play a crucial role in donation. These staff advocates ensure that every Tennessean has the opportunity to join the Donate Life Tennessee Organ and Tissue Donor Registry by checking “Yes!” when applying for or renewing their driver’s license or state ID. Because of them, more people learn of the lifesaving impacts of donation.
County clerks
Tennessee County Clerks support organ, eye, and tissue donation through community advocacy and the Tennessee County Clerk Organ Donation Awareness Foundation (TCCODAF).
The TCCODAF partners with Donate Life Tennessee and the organ procurement organizations serving the state to educate Tennesseans on the critical importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Created in 1996, the Foundation asks citizens to donate $1 with vehicle registration renewal to facilitate public education about organ donation. The Foundation has raised over $6 million in support of educational efforts since its inception.
Community supporters and corporate partners
TDS relies on the support of other community and corporate partners to spread the message about the lifesaving and improving impacts of organ, eye and tissue donation. These partners may engage their workforce and larger community with donor registration drives, awareness campaigns, and support for the impactful work we do.
To learn more about how your organization or community can help save lives, please reach out to our external affairs department.
Funeral homes
TDS works in close partnership with funeral homes to ensure families experience the utmost comfort and care when navigating emotional end-of-life discussions and processes.
In addition, our collaboration with funeral professionals leads to innovative, practical, and sensitive educational programs that further industry practices.
TDS staff is dedicated to supporting funeral professionals, 24/7, and actively participates in the Tennessee Funeral Directors Association. Funeral home professionals may contact TDS Funeral Home Liaisons at 866-757-6481.
High schools
Students are our future leaders, and we empower them with knowledge so they can choose to #BeTheGift by registering as organ, eye and tissue donors.
As youth mature from adolescents to young adults, they begin leading conversations in their homes and communities and encounter many rites of passage, especially related to driving. Our external affairs program engages high school students in their classrooms so they can learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and register their decision to be a donor when applying for their driver’s permit or license.
For more information or to schedule a presentation for your students, please email DLTNinfo@dcids.org.
