Project seeks donors

Marketing class raising awareness for organ donation

Megan Gates | The Standard

Missouri State's X-50 Project has spread awareness and encouraged students and community members to become organ donors this fall.

"The X-50 Project stands for the fact that a single organ donor can save or improve the lives of 50 other individuals through donation," said Michelle Bowers, a senior marketing, advertising and promotions major and account executive for the X-50 Project.

The X-50 Project was created at the beginning of the fall 2010 semester in partnership with St. John's Health System by two sections of Marketing 380: Creative Advertising, taught by Dr. Melissa Burnett, Bowers said. "Dr. Burnett required our class to do a project, and she wanted us to relate it to the public affairs mission of the university," Bowers said. "She asked for suggestions and one student suggested organ donation.

Dr. Burnett had a close relationship with Linda Lurrey of St. John's and talked to them about working with us, and the project just all came together. At first we thought it would simply be a class project, but then it became this big community outreach project that will not only affect MSU's campus, but Missouri as well." About 30 percent of people in Missouri are organ donors, according to Mid-America Transplant Services' record of Greene County as of July 2010.

The X-50 Project hopes to increase that number, Bowers said. "We're trying to get 1,800 commitments from people in the community," she said. "So far we've collected over 500 new donors, and for every person who signs-up, we put a flag up on the Bear Paw on campus. St. John's is also putting up flags at its Springfield and Lebanon locations to match the number of people who sign up to be donors.

" When the fall semester is over, the X-50 Project will continue to affect Missourians, Bowers said. "The Mid-America Transplant Services wants to use our project as a launch pad for their month-long organ donor campaign for April," she said. "They want to use our ideas as inspiration for their own campaign." Burnett, a marketing professor and director of the advertising program, said the X-50 Project has allowed students to spread awareness and increase the number of organ donations in Missouri.

"The students are learning about the critical challenges facing health care," she said. "Today, there are more than 110,000 in need of transplants, and all of these people and their families are waiting for that one phone call that will give them a second chance. Our goal is to share their stories and make that wait much shorter." About 110,000 people nationwide are in need of life saving transplants and 2,000 of those are Missouri residents, according to Midwest Transplant Network. The X-50 Project will be holding various events around campus and the Springfield area during the next week.

On Monday night The Skinny Improv teamed up with the X-50 Project to hold The Skinny on Organ Donation. The event was free to the community and featured a panel discussion over organ donation, a question and answer session with a nurse from St. John's who explained the process of organ donation and personal testimonies by organ donors and recipients. The Potters House will host karaoke from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight. Those interested in learning more about organ donation will receive free coffee and sweet tea while watching karaoke performances and listening to a Mid-America Transplant Services representative answer questions about organ donation.

Members of the X-50 Project will have tables with information about organ donation at the Plaster Student Union and Springfield locations of Krispy Kreme on Dec. 1. Free doughnuts will be given to those who sign up to be an organ donor or show proof they are an organ donor on their license. Also, anyone who signs up or who is already a donor will be entered for a drawing for a Krispy Kreme gift basket. The event will last from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Two benefit concerts will be held Dec. 3 to raise awareness for organ donation, and members of the X-50 Project will be present to answer questions those in attendance may have about the process. The first concert will be held from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Front Porch featuring Avian Sunrise and New York, New York. Guest speakers will also be present to share personal experiences with organ donation. The concert is free to the public. The second concert will be held from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Nathan P. Murphy's and feature a performance by Berch and other local bands. This concert is also free to the public and will have members of the X-50 Project there to answer questions and sign up those interested in organ donation.

For more information about the X-50 Project, visit their Facebook page by searching "x-50." To become an organ donor,visit www.missouriorgandonor.com and select the "Sign Me Up Today" option.