Driver License Office “Best Tree” Challenge

July 12, 2019:

Humans share a symbiotic relationship with trees. Trees deliver the oxygen we breathe to sustain life on earth and serve a vital role in every culture. Given our eternal connection to these living organisms, it is fitting that Donate Life Florida’s 2019 National Donate Life Month (NDLM) campaign theme for the Florida tax collectors’ offices and DHSMV branches centered on a Best Tree contest. “Planting Seeds for Life” was our most successful campaign ever.

In April, more than 100 Florida driver license offices created Best Trees, showcasing both their creativity and enthusiasm for NDLM. Employees competed on two fronts to see which office could design the most original tree and raise the most money for organ and tissue donation education. Each tree leaf represents a monetary donation, although some also were utilized to showcase donor registrations.

“This year’s theme engaged driver license employees at a deeper level than we’ve seen in the past,” said Coral Denton, a LifeQuest public education coordinator and chairperson of the 2019 NDLM campaign.

Overall, Florida driver license offices raised more than $94,000. That is about double the previous year’s total. Among tax collector offices, Sarasota ($22,577.59), Suwannee ($9,590.81) and St. Lucie ($9,128.25) Counties led the group in their fundraising efforts, and Miami-Dade ($10,001.25) led the way among DHSMV locations, with its T03 location raising $4,545!

Best Tree contest winners include Polk County’s Lakeland Service Center, selected by Donate Life Florida’s organ and tissue donor program members, and Lake County’s Leesburg office, chosen by the public via a Facebook vote.

NDLM features activities designed to raise awareness through education and partnerships. Contests like the Best Tree offer employees a chance to flex creative muscles and break from daily routines. Winning offices are treated to a pizza party and earn bragging rights among their peers. But the real satisfaction comes in knowing they are helping to save lives.

“Given that driver license employees process so many registrations, it’s wonderful to see them so passionate about organ and tissue donation,” Denton said.

Tax collectors are on the front line of organ donor recruitment year round. Since Florida’s donor registry began in 2009, about 95 percent of its organ and tissue donor registrations have come from driver license transactions. Legislation mandates that DHSMV clerks ask every person if they want to join the donor registry when obtaining a new or renewed license.

Tax collector participation in NDLM campaigns is voluntary but essential to the success of organ donor education and spreading the Donate Life message.

“The fact that the driver license offices are heavily participating ensures more success for us, as we are better able to provide more donation education to Floridians,” Denton said. “Their enthusiasm is showcased through their offices both in asking people to register and educating patrons in the life-saving impact of donation.”