ReportingIllinois Secretary of State Jesse White was working the crowd hard.
"What's your name?" he asked, closely helping one donor as they filled out an information card.
CBS 2's Dan Jiggetts and Mike North from Monsters & Money in the Morning gave it their all, too.
"It goes back to the time when we lost our good buddy, Walter Payton," said Jiggetts, "and we realized then the need, the desperate need, for people to become organ donors."
That's a need Melissa Simon knows all about.
"It takes 30 seconds, you have to register online. And it's a good feeling to know that someone else's life might be saved by all the people we're finding today," said Simon.
Back in 2007, after enduring 13 years of heart disease, Melissa received a new heart from a 14-year-old organ donor named Chloe.
"She truly saved my life," said Melissa.
A heart so sturdy, it powered Melissa back in February's "Hustle up the Hancock" race. Meeting her at the very end were Chloe's parents, John and Linda Coleman, who then did something extraordinary.
"Just after she got to the top," said John, "we both put on stethoscopes and listened to our daughter in her heart. It made me cry. Made us both cry."
This morning, Melissa recruited volunteer Andy Burwell who thought he couldn't donate.
"She explained to me that even with certain medical conditions, that they will accept organ donors, so I was really pleased to know that, and came right in and registered," Burwell said.
Melissa's story re-emphasized what's really most important for all of us.
"You tend to put things in perspective when you hear something like that," said Mike North. "It's all about life. It's all about having your health."
To sign up to be an organ donor, visit Donate Life Illinois, or the Secretary of State's website.
The old registration method of signing your drivers' license is no longer valid.
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